Drifting off in Thoughts of You
by complexity66
Summary: Gaara finds the one person who never turned her back on him. Strange emotions begin to well up inside of them as they realize their feelings for each other. Can this mysterious girl help open up the last door in Gaara’s heart?
1. Chapter 1

Summary: Gaara finds the one person who never turned her back on him. Strange emotions begin to well up inside of them as they realize their feelings for each other. Can this mysterious girl help open up the last door in Gaara's heart?

This is a Gaara/OC fic. - It takes place when Gaara is 21.

Disclaimer: I only own my own characters and attacks; everything else belongs to Kishimoto-San.

Erm… I think that's about it. Enjoy!

_Drifting Off in Thoughts of You_

Chapter One - Your Eyes

* * *

Gaara sat back comfortably in his chair, his eyes looking slightly soft. He looked over the pile of reports on the desk before him.

Someone knocked on his door gently.

"Come in," Gaara called, not raising his head from the reports.

"Ah, Gaara, we're back," Kankuro said, closing the door behind him and walking forward. Gaara looked up and nodded to the chair closest to Kankuro.

Kankuro took a seat on the chair and sat comfortably as he talked to Gaara quietly.

* * *

The young woman looked up at the crescent moon and sighed. A soft breeze swept past her slowly. 

"His eyes are different…" she said quietly.

"Whose eyes are different?"

The young woman turned around quickly to see her younger sister looking at her questioningly.

They stayed silent for a moment.

"Nee-Chan… I'm telling you- forget about him and move on, he's not worth it."

The older girl looked at her younger sister blankly.

"But-…"

"Ai-!"

Ai and her younger sister looked at their mother.

"Yes, Okaa-san?" Ai asked quietly.

"You're supposed to be making dinner," her mother said angrily.

Ai bowed slightly.

"Forgive me, Okaa-San… I'll start right away," Ai said, standing straight while walking past her sister and mother.

Her mother sighed and shook her head.

"Natsumi, go help your sister," they elderly woman said with another sigh.

"Yes, Okaa-San…"

Natsumi bowed and ran into the house.

* * *

"Nee-Chan…" Natsumi began quietly as she set the table. 

"Yes, Imouto-Chan?" Ai asked, looking over the pot of rice.

"I'm serious… Okaa-San and O-tou-San are going to find out sooner or later… I'm telling you… You can't like Kazekage-Sama-"

"I made a promise that-"

"What are you two talking about?"

Ai's father walked into the kitchen.

"Nothing," Ai and Natsumi said in unison.

Their father looked at them strangely.

"We're having guests… Finish setting up the table- and you," their father began, looking at Ai sternly. "Hurry up with the cooking and be on your best behavior or else-"

He was cut short as he heard someone knocking on the door.

"Hurry up," he muttered as he walked out of the kitchen.

Natsumi sighed quietly as she finished setting up the table. Ai stayed silent as she began putting the food on the table.

* * *

Ai and Natsumi walked out of the kitchen, side-by-side with their heads slightly lowered. 

An old woman smiled and embraced them tightly. Ai and Natsumi grinned slightly.

"Welcome home, Sobo," they said in unison.

"You two have gotten bigger… it's time to start finding suitors for you," their grandmother said with a wink. Natsumi rolled her eyes as Ai smiled faintly.

Their grandmother moved to the side and motioned to a young man behind her.

"This is my friend's son, his name is Ichiro," the elderly woman said with another wink towards the two girls.

Ichiro looked at them smugly with his nose high. Ai resisted the growing urge to glare at him. Natsumi looked at Ichiro strangely. She turned around and walked into the kitchen. Ai followed after her quickly.

"Imouto-Chan… Is something wrong?" Ai asked, concerned.

Natsumi burst out laughing.

"What a weird guy, did you see his face?"

Ai smiled faintly. Their father walked into the kitchen, glaring at them.

"What the Hell do you two think you're doing?"

Natsumi stopped laughing immediately.

"Forgive us, O-tou-San… I needed to speak with Imouto-Chan for a moment…" Ai began quickly.

Natsumi looked at through the corner of her eyes.

Ai stood silently, looking at her fuming father. He glared at Ai threateningly.

"Go sit with the rest of them, both of you- Now." He said, his anger rising slightly.

* * *

Ai and Natsumi walked out of the kitchen quickly. They looked at everyone sitting at the table. Natsumi and Ai looked at each other for a brief moment, noticing that they had to sit on either side of Ichiro. They walked forward silently, knowing that their father was waiting for them to take a seat. Ai sat down first, not looking at Ichiro. Natsumi sighed and took a seat on the other side of Ichiro. Ichiro smirked at the two silent women. 

Ai's mother, Arisu, was talking to the elderly woman beside her. Ai's father took a seat on an empty seat and joined in their conversation.

Ai began to tune out the conversation.

-Memory-

_Ai looked shyly out of her window at nighttime. Gaara sat on the ground silently with his teddy bear. He looked up at the window curiously. Ai blushed and waved shyly. Gaara smiled faintly and waved back. _

_Ai's mother came up beside her grabbed her arm roughly. _

_"What are you doing? Don't look at that monster! Stay away from him!"_

_Her mother's shouts could be heard from inside the house. Gaara looked down sadly as he felt as if someone had stabbed his heart. He got up and walked away sadly, dragging his teddy bear behind him. _

_Tears began streaming down Ai's eyes. _

_Natsumi walked into Ai's room to see her mother hitting Ai. Natsumi ran up to her mother and slapped her hand away. Her mother froze and glared at Natsumi. _

_Natsumi took Ai's hand and walked into a different room. They slept on the ground together that night. Ai stayed up a little while longer._

_'_He's no monster…_'_

-End Memory-

"Ai- Ai, are you listening to me?" her father asked, his temper rising. Ai snapped out of her thoughts and nodded.

"Yes, O-tou-San?"

"I said… your engagement is in three months," he said, calming down.

Ai's eyes widened.

"My… engagement?"

Her father nodded, grinning widely.

"With Ichiro," he added.

Natsumi looked at Ai's shocked face. Ai's eyes began to get watery. She got up and silently walked to her room.

Ichiro smirked as Natsumi got up and ran after Ai.

* * *

Natsumi opened the door slowly and walked into Ai's room, closing the door behind her. 

"Nee-Chan…?"

Natsumi stood quietly. She turned on the light switch and noticed Ai looked out the window, up at the crescent moon. Natsumi walked up to her and came to a halt after a few steps. She noticed a bit of red shining on Ai's neck. Natsumi moved Ai's raven black hair gently and looked at the back of her neck. She raised her eyebrow.

"Nee-Chan… this is-…" Natsumi stopped talking. Ai turned and looked back at Natsumi, her electric blue eyes gleaming in the light. Ai raised her hand and rubbed the back of her neck.

'_A tattoo… on her neck… just like… the one on Kazekage-Sama's forehead…_'

* * *

Well, this is the end of chapter one! I hope you enjoyed it, thank you! 

Japanese…Meanings

Okaasan mother

O-tousan father

Oneesan - elder sister

Imouto - younger sister

_Sobo_ grandmother

_Ai_ Love

_Natsumi_ Beautiful Summer

_Ichiro_ First Son

_Arisu_ Japanese form of Alice.

If any of this is wrong, then could someone please tell me?

Review please!


	2. Pictures

Well, here's chapter two. I'd like to thank my readers and reviewers- you rock! Enjoy the chapter!

_Drifting Off in Thoughts of You_

Chapter Two – Pictures

* * *

"Imouto-Chan… Can I sleep with you tonight?" Ai asked quietly, standing in the doorway of Natsumi's bedroom. Natsumi looked up from the photo album she was holding.

"Yeah, of course," she replied, looking back down at the photo album.

Ai smiled and took a seat beside Natsumi on her bed. Natsumi grinned and looked at a picture she took of Kankuro. Ai raised her eyebrow slightly.

"Imouto-Chan…"

Natsumi looked at Ai curiously.

"Yes…?"

Ai shook her head and smiled.

"Never mind," she said quickly.

Natsumi shrugged it off and continued looking through the photo album. Ai put her hand over a picture.

"Who took this picture…?"

Natsumi looked down at a picture of Gaara when he was younger.

"Temari-San took that picture of Gaara when he wasn't looking and she gave me a copy of it," Natsumi answered.

Ai smiled and nodded.

"Nee-Chan… About what happened today…" Natsumi began quietly.

Ai smiled sadly and lowered her head.

"Don't worry about it…"

Natsumi looked up at Ai.

"Nee-Chan, we're not children anymore- we can make our own-"

"Make your own what?" a gruff voice came from the doorway to Natsumi's room.

"O-tou-San," Ai and Natsumi said in unison. Natsumi gulped silently.

"Nothing, O-tou-San," she said quickly.

Natsumi and Ai lowered their heads. Natsumi moved the photo album behind her so her father couldn't see it.

Their father noticed Natusmi's moving hand and walked forward, his anger growing. Natsumi looked up quickly.

"O-tou-San-"

"What the Hell is this…?" he asked quietly.

Natsumi got up and tried to take the photo album away.

"It's nothing, O-tou-San!"

He pushed Natsumi roughly and looked through the photo album. Ai looked up at her father.

"O-tou-San, give it back!" Natsumi shouted. She got up quickly and tried once again to take the photo album away.

"Why do you have pictures of that rotten monster?" His voice got louder steadily. Ai's eyes flickered with pain and anger.

"O-tou-San- stop it, damn it!" Natsumi shouted.

Their father brought up his hand and brought it down quickly.

Ai's head turned as her cheek began burning. Natsumi and their father froze.

"Nee-Chan…"

Ai turned her head slowly and looked up at her father.

"That's mine; you don't need to take out your anger on Imouto-Chan…"

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

"Nee-Chan, what are you doing?" she whispered.

His anger continued growing.

"Why you good-for-nothing little piece of-…"

Their father threw the photo album out the window and grabbed a large chunk Ai's hair. He pushed her against the wall and punched her face. Ai fell to the ground with her head lowered.

"O-tou-San- stop it!" Natsumi shouted trying to get the large man away from her sister. He slapped Natsumi and pushed her away. He continued to take his anger out on Ai. He kicked her stomach and grabbed her by her hair again. He forced her to look at him and stand up. Blood trickled down the corner of her lips. He pushed her head back against the wall.

Natsumi's pleas fell onto deaf ears.

Natsumi ran out of the room and down to her parents' room.

"Okaa-San! Okaa-San, you have to stop O-tou-San! Please, he's hurting Nee-Chan!"

Her mother looked up and glared at her. She slapped Natsumi and pushed her out of the bedroom. The door slammed shut as her mother locked the door.

Natsumi ignored the stinging in her eyes and ran back to her room. She heard a scream andcame to a halt. Her father continued kicking Ai. Ai's wrist stood out in a strange angle.

"O-tou-San- leave her alone!" Natsumi cried, pulling her father away from Ai.

He pushed Ai again and hit her across the face again. He breathed heavily as he walked out of the bedroom and slammed the door behind him.

Ai fell to the ground. Her eye had a bruise forming around it and blood continued to trickle down the corner of her lips. Natsumi kneeled down in front of her, tears falling down from her eyes.

"Nee-Chan… Why did you do that? Why did you lie to O-tou-San?" she asked quietly, wiping the blood off her face.

"Imouto-Chan… Stop crying…" Ai said quietly, looking away.

Ai stood up shakily.

"Nee-Chan, sit down- you're hurt!"

Ai ignored her and walked to the window.

"He threw your pictures away… I'm sorry, Imouto-Chan…"

A sob escaped from Natsumi's mouth. Ai turned around stumbled slightly. She walked over to Natsumi and smiled faintly.

"Don't worry, I'll get your pictures back…"

Natsumi's eyes widened slightly.

"Nee-Chan, that's not why I'm crying!"

Ai continued smiling.

"I know…" Ai replied, dropping to her knees.

Ai's eyes closed slowly while Natsumi called out. Darkness clouded Ai's mind.

* * *

Temari looked up from a photo album and watched Kankuro walk inside their house.

"Hey, welcome back, Kankuro- how was the mission?"

Kankuro shrugged and got himself a glass of water.

"What're you looking at?" he asked, walking over to Temari.

Temari flipped a page of the photo album.

"Pictures," she said quietly.

Kankuro looked down at the pictures.

"You have a picture of those two?" Kankuro asked, looking down at a picture of Natsumi and Ai. Temari nodded and continued to look through the album.

"Maybe we should visit them sometime… I heard their parents were keeping them inside the house," Temari said, slightly worried.

"You think something's going on…?" Kankuro asked, putting his empty glass away.

"Not sure…" Temari began. "How's Gaara?"

Kankuro smiled faintly.

"He's fine- just catching up on some paper work."

"You know…I've always wondered about Ai and Gaara…." Temari said.

"What do you mean?"

"Never mind," Temari replied, grinning slightly.

* * *

Gaara closed a folder and put it to the side of his desk. He stood up and walked over to a window. He looked up at the crescent moon as a memory flooded his mind.

-Memory-

_Gaara sat down in silence and held his teddy bear close to him. He turned his head as he heard shuffling behind him. Ai stood there shyly, looking down at the ground._

_"H- Hi, Gaara-…Kun…"_

_Gaara stood up and looked at her curiously._

_'_Why isn't she running away…?_'_

_Ai looked up and began blushing furiously. _

_"Um… I- I got something for you…" she stuttered. Gaara continued looking at her curiously._

_"Something… for me?" his voice croaked out._

_Ai noticed this and smiled softly. She took out a small box of candy._

_Gaara took it curiously._

_"Nee-Chan, Okaa-San's looking for you!" a voice called out._

_Ai sent another smile to Gaara and ran off. Gaara looked down at the box of candy and smiled as he walked home, holding the box and his teddy bear close._

-End Memory-

A small smile tugged at Gaara's lips.

'_Ai…_'

* * *

Chapter two! I'm sorry for the late update, I'll try to update faster!

Review please!


	3. Worry

I forgot the disclaimers…

Disclaimer: I only own my own characters- everything else belongs to Kishimoto-San.

_Drifting off in Thoughts of You _

Chapter Three- Worry

* * *

Light shone through the window as the sun began rising.

Ai groaned and turned her head. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around to find herself in her sister's bedroom.

"Nee-Chan, how are you feeling?"

Ai turned her head again to see Natsumi looking at her with worry. Memories of the night before flooded Ai's mind. Ai looked down at her wrist to see it bandaged.

"Who bandaged my wrist…?" Ai asked quietly.

"When Okaa-San and O-tou-San left this morning, I called in someone to check up on you… Don't worry, you'll be fine," Natsumi said, smiling sadly.

Ai tried to sit up in bed. She winced as pain shot through her body.

"Nee-Chan, don't get up- you need time to heal," Natsumi said, pushing Ai back down.

"Imouto-Chan… Are you okay?" Ai whispered.

Natsumi nodded and smiled again.

"I'm fine, don't worry about me."

"Where are Okaa-San and O-tou-San…?"

Natsumi shrugged slightly.

"I don't know- they didn't say…"

Ai stared up at the ceiling.

"Did Okaa-San hit you…?"

Natsumi looked at her curiously.

"You have a mark on your face… She hit you, didn't she?" Ai said as she continued to stare at the ceiling.

"Nee-Chan… You've been hurt more than me, so don't worry about me," Natsumi replied.

Ai smiled faintly at Natsumi. Natsumi smiled back and got up from her seat.

"You must be hungry, I'll get you something to eat," Natsumi said quickly as she ran down to the kitchen.

Ai tried to get up once more. She ignored the pain as she sat up.

Ai heard the door open downstairs. She heard her father yelling at Natsumi.

"Hurry up and make lunch!"

"Yes, O-tou-San," Natsumi said.

Ai sighed and raised her hand. She felt a bandage wrapped around her forehead.

"So you're finally up, huh?"

Ai turned to see Ichiro looking at her smugly.

"What're you doing here?" Ai asked calmly.

"Well, your parents invited me to stay for a week- you know, to get to know you better," he said, smirking.

"Leave her alone, you moron," Natsumi said angrily as she walked past him, into her room.

Ichiro glared at her as she set Ai's food down on a nearby seat.

"Why don't you make me?" he said, angrily.

Ai raised her eyebrow slightly.

"Ichiro- come down! We're going out!"

Ai and Natsumi smiled as they heard their mother calling Ichiro down.

Natsumi waved.

"Bye, moron," she said happily. Ichiro stomped away in anger.

Natsumi shook her head and handed Ai her food.

"Thank you, Imouto-Chan… Aren't they going to stay for lunch?" Ai said as she began eating her food.

Natsumi shook her head.

"They decided to eat somewhere else… But that guy- I swear… that guy is such a-…"

"Imouto-Chan…" Ai said warningly.

"Don't stand up for him, Nee-Chan- he's a jerk and he deserves to be-…"

"Imouto-Chan… Don't worry about him, he's not worth it."

Natsumi sighed and smiled.

"Hey- finish eating, you need your strength," Natsumi added. Ai nodded and continued eating.

* * *

Ai's mother walked through the streets with Ichiro and her husband, Nori, close behind.

"Look at that small shop, Ichiro- why don't you buy something?" Arisa asked nicely.

Ichiro looked at the shop and walked up to a woman with blond hair.

"Hello, Beautiful- what's your name?" he asked smugly.

Temari turned around and glared at him.

"Grow up," she muttered. Her gaze ran to the people behind him.

'_Those are… Ai's parents…_'

"Takahashi-San, it's good to see you," Temari said with a small smile.

The couple glared at Temari slightly. Temari resisted the urge to glare back.

"I uh…. Haven't seen Ai and Natsumi lately- are they well?"

They continued to glare at Temari as Nori grabbed Ichiro and walked away from her.

Temari glared at them and crossed her arms.

'_Now I know something's going on…_'

* * *

"That's enough, Natsumi- I can't eat anymore," Ai said, chuckling quietly.

"But you need to get better!"

"I won't get better if I vomit," Ai retorted.

Natsumi grinned and nodded.

"Nicely said, Nee-Chan."

Ai smiled and nodded as Natsumi took the dishes out of her room.

* * *

Gaara sighed and walked around his office. He looked out his window to see children laughing and playing.

His eyes traveled over the people. He turned his head and froze. He looked back out the window to see Ai's parents with a young man close by. Gaara continued watching them as they went into the small shops. His gaze ran around them.

Gaara's eyes fell after a moment.

'_She's…not there…_'

Gaara shook his head as someone knocked on his office doors.

"Come in," he said clearly.

A young man walked in with numerous papers and folders in his hands.

"These are the reports from the teams, Kazekage-Sama."

Gaara nodded and allowed the man to put the papers on his desk.

Gaara closed his office doors and sat down. Ai's smiling face ran through his mind. It had been five years since he last saw her.

Their last meeting flooded into his mind.

-Memory-

_Gaara stood with his back against the wall of a house, crossing his arms. He heard someone behind him, but kept his eyes closed. After a moment, he opened his eyes to see Ai and Natsumi in front of him._

_Ai smiled as Natsumi stood behind her, watching to make sure that no one was around._

_"Nee-Chan, they're coming," Natsumi said quickly. Ai looked behind her, worried._

_She turned back around and handed Gaara a small box. She turned again and quickly ran with her sister._

_Ai turned back once more and smiled at Gaara's confused face._

_After a moment of watching her, she disappeared. Gaara opened the small box to see a hand-made teddy bear in there. He picked it up and looked at it._

_Gaara turned the bear around to see the word '_love_' written on the back. He looked to where he last saw Ai and then back at the teddy bear. Gaara put the teddy bear back into the box, and pocketed the box._

-End Memory-

Gaara's eyes softened at the memory.

'_Ai… Where are you…?_'

* * *

Chapter Three- I realized that I might be going a little fast… I'll try slowing down the story.

I hope you enjoyed this chapter- review please!

Nori- Rule/Law


	4. Midnight of Pain

IMPORTANT: The rating of this story is going up to R- (or M) due to abuse (which is obvious), language and…other stuff. I'm sorry for any inconvenience this may cause for anyone.

Thanks to my readers and reviewers! You rock!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of you_

Chapter Four- Midnight of Pain

* * *

  
"Why the Hell are you still in bed?" Nori asked, glaring at Ai. Ai looked up at her father. Her hair covered the side of her face where the bruise had become more visible.

She stayed silent and looked down at her hands.

"Nee-Chan, I brought you some dinner-," Natsumi stopped talking when she noticed that her father was in her room. She bowed her head quickly.

"Welcome home, O-tou-San…" she said quietly. Nori glared at Natsumi and the tray of food she was holding. He grabbed the tray from her hands and threw it against the wall. Natsumi flinched and looked at the food on the ground.

"O-tou-San, why did you do that?" Natsumi asked, getting angry.

"That idiot has to learn," he began, pointing at Ai. "She's not getting any food for a week!" he shouted angrily.

"O-tou-San, that's not fair!" Natsumi yelled, glaring at her father.

Ai raised her head and looked at her sister. Her gaze ran over to her father and she noticed his fists clenching.

"Imouto-Chan, leave it," Ai muttered.

Natsumi turned her head quickly and stared at Ai.

"But, Nee-Chan-!"

"I said leave it," Ai said firmly. Natsumi turned her head away from her sister and father. Nori smirked and left the room, slamming the door behind him.

Natsumi continued looking away.

"Nee-Chan… Why did you stop me? It's not fair!"

Ai sighed and looked back at her hands.

"It's alright… I'm not hungry…"

"But you will be!" Natsumi shouted back.

"Get down here and start making dinner, both of you- now!" Their father's voice echoed angrily.

Ai swung her legs over the bed slowly and stood up shakily.

"Nee-Chan, don't stand up! You need your rest," Natsumi said quickly. Ai looked up at Natsumi.

"It's alright, I can walk," she replied with a smile. Ai walked past Natsumi, who stared at her. Natsumi's eyes began stinging.

"Come on, Imouto-Chan; let's get started on dinner," Ai said as she walked towards the stairs. Natsumi sighed and picked up the food that fell. Ai waited for Natsumi, and they walked down the stairs together.

Ai ignored the growing pain as she walked.

"What took you so long? We're down here, hungry! Now hurry up and make dinner!" Nori shouted.

Ai and Natsumi nodded and quickly ran into the kitchen.

* * *

Ai and Natsumi cooked in a comfortable silence. 

"Ichiro is staying for a week," Ai spoke up quietly. Natsumi dropped a pan and stared at Ai, wide-eyed.

"He's staying here? For a week- with us?"

Ai nodded and continued cooking.

"That little piece of-…"

"Little piece of what?"

Ai and Natsumi turned around to see Ichiro looking at them angrily. Natsumi glared at him and opened her mouth.

"Little piece of shi-"

"Imouto-Chan, finish cooking," Ai said quickly.

Natsumi picked up the pan that she dropped and put it away. Ichiro stood with his arms crossed as his eyes roamed over Ai's body. Ai shifted uncomfortably in her spot, but tried to ignore Ichiro. Natsumi looked at Ichiro through the corner of her eyes and turned around to face him.

"We're trying to cook- would you mind leaving?" Natsumi asked angrily.

"Why don't you make me, you little whore-"

Ai picked up a bowl of flour and dumped it over Ichiro's head.

"Oh, how clumsy of me- well, it looks like you should go clean up," Ai said with a smile. Ichiro glared at her and stalked out of the kitchen.

Natsumi laughed and grinned at her older sister.

"Thank you, Nee-Chan," she said with a smile.

"What is going on here?"

Ai and Natsumi turned to see their grandmother behind them.

"Sobo, you're back," Ai said, her smile falling a bit.

Their grandmother smiled and nodded.

"I just came to check up on Ichiro," she began. "But I should get going, take care you two," their grandmother added as she waved and walked out of the kitchen.

Ai and Natsumi turned around and finished cooking.

"What the Hell is taking so long?"

Their father walked in, glaring at them.

"We just finished, O-tou-San," Natsumi said, putting the food on the table.

"Finally," he muttered angrily as he walked out of the kitchen. Ai and Natsumi glanced at each other and finished setting the table.

* * *

Ai sat on her sister's bed and looked out the window to see the sun setting. She sighed quietly as she heard her father talking loudly with Ichiro. 

Ai got up from her seat and walked over to the window. Her gaze ran down to the children running on the street, laughing and saying their goodbyes to their friends. Ai touched the window softly, allowing her eyes to run to the Kazekage's office. Ai leaned her side against the window and continued looking at the office, in the distance. A faraway look settled in her eyes. Gaara's name and voice began echoing in her mind. She shut her eyes and put her hands over her chest.

"Nee-Chan," Natsumi said quietly.

Ai turned and looked at her younger sister. She smiled and sat back on the bed.

"I'll sleep in your room tonight; O-tou-San doesn't want us in the same room," Natsumi added quickly. Ai nodded and lay back in bed. Her stomach growled quietly. Natsumi raised her eyebrow.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't be eating anyway," Ai said, covering herself with her sister's blanket.

Natsumi nodded and bid her sister goodnight. She turned off the lights and closed the door as she walked into Ai's bedroom.

* * *

Ai tossed and turned. 

"It's midnight…" she said quietly. Ai sat up and winced as the pain came flooding back. She turned and got off her bed. She walked to the window shakily and looked out. Ai shut her eyes again and put her hands against the left side of her chest. She dropped to her knees and lowered her head. After a few moments, she opened her eyes. Her bottom lip quivered slightly.

'_Gaara-Kun…_'

Ai raised her head and looked up at the moon. She got up from her spot on the ground and ran to the bedroom door. She turned the knob.

'_The door's locked_,' she thought, still trying to open the door. Ai raised her hand and hit the door. She sank to her knees again and held her head.

'_Gaara-Kun…_'

Her hands ran to her chest again. Her heart began to ache as a few tears fell from her eyes.

'_I love you_,' she thought as a sob escaped from her mouth.

"I love you so much," she whispered.

Ai wrapped her arms around herself and allowed herself to fall on her side. She closed her eyes as Gaara's image ran through her mind.

* * *

Natsumi sat against the wall and heard her sister's sobs. She looked up at the ceiling and sighed. She touched the wall lightly and closed her eyes. 

"I know how you feel, Nee-Chan," she began quietly. "I'm in love too…"

Natsumi pulled out a picture from her pillow case and looked at it. Kankuro and Natsumi sat together in the picture, smiling at the camera.

'_We'll find them, Nee-Chan… I know we will…_'

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! 

Review please!


	5. One Fateful Night

Thanks to my readers and reviewers! I love you guys!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of you_

Chapter Five- One Fateful Night

* * *

Ai opened her eyes slowly and looked around at her surroundings. She yawned and sat up slowly, looking out the window at the rising sun.

Ai turned her head as someone knocked on the door.

"Nee-Chan- I opened the lock… Open the door," Natsumi said from the other side of the door. Ai got up quickly and opened the door to see her Natsumi holding a tray of food.

"Hurry up and eat, before Okaa-San and O-tou-San come home," she said quickly. Natsumi walked into the room and closed the door behind her. Ai's stomach growled lightly. She took the tray and sat on the ground.

* * *

Ai handed the tray back to Natsumi and wiped her mouth. 

"Thank you, Imouto-Chan," Ai said gratefully. Natsumi smiled and ran out of her room quickly.

Ai smiled and stood up. She walked over to the window and watched as people began walking out of their houses, to work.

Ai sighed and noticed her parents coming home, with Ichiro close behind. Ai sat down on her sister's bed and looked around the room. She raised her hand and touched the bruise around her eye lightly. She winced slightly and put her hand down. Ai got up and walked out the door, going downstairs.

"Nee-Chan, is something wrong?"

Ai shook her head as her younger sister looked at her with worry.

"O-tou-San and Okaa-San will be home soon," she replied quietly.

Natsumi nodded and looked away from her sister.

"Nee-Chan… last night, I heard-,"

"Hurry up and make breakfast!"

Natsumi was cut off as her father yelled from the door. Ai smiled sadly and walked past her.

"Come on, Imouto-Chan," she said quietly.

Natsumi sighed and walked down with Ai.

* * *

Ai looked up at the clock; the day had passed by uneventfully. 

"Brat," a voice called from behind her.

Ai got up and looked at her father.

"Yes, O-tou-San?"

Ichiro stood behind Nori with a smirk on his face. Natsumi came down the stairs and looked at the three.

"You'll be going out with Ichiro tonight," her father said calmly.

Ai and Natsumi glanced at each other, then at Ichiro.

"O-tou-San," Natsumi began.

Nori turned at glared at Natsumi. She stopped talking instantly and stared at Ichiro.

Ai continued looking at Ichiro with a frown.

'_Knowing that bastard, he's going to do something bad…_' Natsumi thought, glaring at Ichiro.

"Yes, O-tou-San," Ai said quietly as she walked up to her room. Natsumi turned and followed Ai quickly.

* * *

"Nee-Chan, you can't go out with him!" Natsumi shouted. 

"Keep quiet, Imouto-Chan… I have no choice," Ai said, still frowning.

"You _do_ have a choice- don't go out with him!"

Ai looked at Natsumi and smiled. She embraced her and patted her back.

"Don't worry, Imouto-Chan," she said quietly.

Natsumi shut her eyes and looked away from Ai.

Ai walked out of her room and down the stairs to see Ichiro smirking at her. Ai kept her head lowered and stood behind Ichiro.

Natsumi stood and looked at Ai with worry. Ichiro grabbed Ai's arm roughly and walked out of the house quickly. Natsumi ran down the stairs.

"Where the Hell do you think you're going?"

Natsumi skidded to a halt and looked at her father.

"I was… going to close the door," Natsumi said, looking away.

"Go to your room," he said angrily as he glared at her.

Natsumi turned and ran up to her bedroom.

* * *

Gaara walked out his office doors. 

"I'm going to take a walk," he said calmly, to the person carrying folders.

"Alright, Kazekage-Sama," he replied with a small smile.

Gaara nodded and walked past him quietly.

* * *

Ai winced and tried to take her arm away. 

"Let go of me!" she shouted.

A few people turned to look at Ichiro and Ai, but dismissed them quickly.

Ichiro glared at her and tightened his grip on her arm. Ai stayed quiet but glared at him. He walked quickly and turned into an alley. Ichiro pushed Ai against a wall roughly and pushed himself against her.

The moon hung itself high in the air. The voices of people died away as a soft breeze replaced them.

Ai held her hands up and tried to push him away. A few drunken men walked into the alley. Ichiro smirked and called them over.

Ai looked at them, her eyes widening.

"No, stop it!"

The men held her against the wall and Ichiro ripped the top of her shirt. Ai's eyes began stinging as she moved around.

"Let me go!"

Ichiro moved forward and leaned in. Ai spit at his face. Ichiro glared at her and slapped her. He ripped off the rest of her shirt and let it fall to the ground. Ichiro and the drunken men began roaming their hands over her body. Ai's pleas and cries fell onto deaf ears. She kicked Ichiro's knee and she received another slap. Ichiro pushed her head against the wall. Blood began trickling down the back of her head.

"Let me go, you Shit-Head!" Ai shouted as tears ran down her face. Ichiro raised his hand and made a fist. His fist collided with the corner of Ai's lips. Blood began trickling down from her mouth.

* * *

Gaara stood and looked around. He turned his head as he heard screams and pleas. His eyes widened as he took off towards the screams. 

'_Could it be-?_'

* * *

Ichiro put his hands inside her skirt. The drunken men held her legs down looked up her skirt. Tears began falling down her face heavily. 

'_Gaara-…' Gaara-Kun-!_'

One of the men pushed her head against the wall again. Another one put his hand over her mouth.

Ai bit his hand. He took his hand away quickly and slapped Ai.

'_Gaara-Kun-_!'

"Gaara-!" she shouted as a sob escaped from her mouth.

Sand began rising and found its way around the men and Ichiro. Ai turned and looked to see a shadowed figure. Her vision blurred slightly. The sand picked up the men. Ai fell to her knees and coughed.

Cries of pain could be heard. The men fell down. Ichiro's arms stuck out at a strange angle. The drunken men fainted. Ichiro began shouting at the shadowed figure.

"You fucking little piece of-!"

Sand picked up Ichiro and threw him like an old rag doll. He fell into unconsciousness.

Ai hugged herself and her vision continued blurring. The shadowed figured walked forward and covered Ai with his shirt. Ai looked up at his face and tilted her head. Tears continued running down her face. Gaara stood up and crossed his arms. Sand circled itself around Ai's body and picked her up gently. Gaara walked out of the alley with Ai close behind. The moon shone down on Gaara.

"Gaara-…Kun…?" Ai's voice came out meekly as she slipped out of consciousness. Gaara came to a halt slowly and looked back at Ai. He turned around and allowed the sand to let go of her. Gaara wiped the blood off her face. He wrapped his arms around her body and stood up with her in his arms. Gaara looked down at her pale face and stared at her black eye.

A soft breeze swept past them. Ai shivered slightly. Gaara held her tightly and walked down the street.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review please! 


	6. Full Moon

A special thanks to all my readers and reviewers! You rock!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of you_

Chapter Six- Full Moon

* * *

A man grumbled and got out of bed as he heard someone knocking on the door. He rubbed his eyes and yawned loudly.

'_It's not even two… Who could be here at this time_?'

The man opened the door to see Gaara standing in front of him with a young woman in his arms. His eyes widened slightly and he bowed.

"Kazekage-Sama, how can I help you?" he asked, worried. The man moved to the side and allowed Gaara to come inside.

Gaara remained silent and looked down at Ai.

"Doctor…" he began.

The doctor looked down at Ai. He motioned to a couch. Gaara walked to the couch and put Ai down gently.

"I checked up on this young lady a few days ago… Her sister had come to get me," the doctor said, inspecting her bandaged wrist.

"Her sister…?" Gaara spoke up quietly.

"Apparently… Someone had hurt her at home… She wouldn't tell me who caused the black eye or the broken wrist… This girl, Ai- I've checked up on her numerous times," the elderly man replied.

Gaara's eyes narrowed slightly. The doctor glanced at Gaara before continuing to check Ai's body.

"They're very sweet girls- both of them… It's too bad they couldn't come outside…"

Gaara remained silent. His eyes trailed over Ai's face. His gaze lingered on her lips for a moment. Gaara snapped out of his trance when the doctor stood up.

"I've bandaged her head…She seems to be fine… Just needs rest," he said with a smile. Gaara walked over to Ai and picked her up carefully.

"You can keep her here, if you want," the doctor added.

Gaara silently walked to the open door and walked out. The doctor smiled and closed the door.

He walked back to his bedroom.

'_The young people these days…_' he thought as he shook his head.

* * *

Gaara kicked the door lightly. 

Temari opened the door and yawned.

"Gaara? What're you doing here?"

Gaara walked past Temari silently. Temari looked down at Ai.

"Is that-…?"

Gaara nodded and put Ai on the couch. He moved a few strands of her hair to the side. Temari raised her eyebrow with her arms crossed.

"Change her clothes," Gaara said quietly as he walked out the door.

"Gaara, where are you going?"

"Work," he said bluntly.

Temari sighed and closed the door. She turned and looked at Ai's unconscious figure.

'_All my clothes are in the laundry… And Kankuro's clothes too…_'

Temari grinned slightly as she grabbed Gaara's old clothes.

"Ai-Chan, it's good to see you again," she said quietly.

* * *

The sun rose quickly. Light began shining through the window. 

Ai's eyes snapped open. She sat up in bed quickly and looked around. Her hands shook for a moment, and then stopped.

"Where am I…?" she whispered quietly.

Ai looked at the bedroom door as someone knocked. She wrapped her arms around herself defensively.

The doorknob turned quickly.

"Ah, you're awake!" Temari said with a smile, carrying a tray of food.

"Temari-Chan…?"

"Glad you remember me," Temari added, putting the food on a nearby table.

Ai touched the bandage around her head lightly.

"When-… Who-…?"

"This morning… Around three- and Gaara," Temari said, still smiling.

Ai's eyes widened.

'_Gaara?_'

"Gaara?" Ai's voice croaked.

Temari's smile fell a bit.

"You don't remember?"

Ai's eyes began stinging.

"Is- Is Gaara here?"

Temari shook her head and sat on the edge of the bed.

"How're you feeling now?" Temari asked, worried.

Ai smiled and looked out the window.

"I'm good, and starving."

Temari laughed and handed Ai the tray of food.

"Sorry about the clothes… They're kind of big for you… My clothes were in the laundry, with Kankuro's…"

"So…. These clothes-…"

"Are Gaara's," Temari finished the sentence with a smile.

Ai began blushing furiously as she looked down at the large clothes. Temari began laughing loudly. Ai smiled and began eating her food.

"It's good to see you again, Temari-Chan," Ai said happily.

* * *

"Tell me where she is, or you'll regret it," Natsumi said angrily to Ichiro, who sat in the hospital. 

"Look, you bitch- my arms are broken, why the Hell are you worrying about your stupid shitty-"

A loud slap was heard. Nurses and patients turned to see Natsumi glaring at Ichiro. Natsumi punched Ichiro's shoulders angrily. He cried out in pain.

"Where is my sister?" she asked quietly with anger evident in her voice.

Ichiro glared back at Natsumi.

"That fucked up monster took her," he said with a smirk. Natsumi stood back.

"Monster…?"

A few people glared at Ichiro, they obviously didn't consider Gaara a monster. Natsumi's fist collided with Ichiro's nose. She walked out of the hospital.

* * *

Nori grabbed Natsumi's arm. 

"Let go of me- I have to get Nee-Chan!" Natsumi shouted as she hit her father's arm repeatedly. Nori glared at her as he pushed her back into their house.

"What's wrong with you?" Natsumi asked quietly.

Nori pushed Natsumi back roughly.

"It's a good thing if that brat doesn't come back- we don't need her here!"

Natsumi's anger began growing steadily. Her hands clenched into fists.

"You-… Are a horrible father- I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!" Natsumi yelled as she pushed her father back.

Nori stood silently, glaring at Natsumi.

"And you know what-" Natsumi began. "I'm glad Nee-Chan doesn't have to come back! At least she doesn't have to live with a shitty father!"

Nori froze as his hands shook.

"Go to your room- and don't come out until I say so!"

"Gladly," Natsumi muttered as she walked past her father.

Nori growled and walked into his bedroom.

* * *

Ai looked out the window- up at the passing clouds. 

'_That looks like…Imouto-Chan… Okaa-San and O-tou-San…_' Ai smiled faintly.

The sky began blending into different colors as the sun began setting. Ai turned her head away from the window and looked down at her wrist.

-Memory-

_"Okaa-San, I'm home!" a five year old Ai called._

_Her mother walked to the door and smiled._

_"Welcome home, sweetie," she said happily as Ai hugged her._

_"Where's Imouto-Chan?" Ai asked curiously as she blinked innocently._

_Arisa nodded towards Ai's bedroom._

_"She's looking at the pictures again," her mother said, still smiling. _

_Ai ran up the stairs and hugged her sister tightly. Natsumi continued looking at the pictures with Ai._

-End Memory-

'_I wonder…if everyone's okay…_'

"Ai-Chan!"

Ai snapped out of her thoughts as Temari called her. Ai got up from the bed and walked out slowly.

"Yes, Temari-Chan…?"

Temari grinned and pointed at Kankuro. Ai smiled and walked towards him. Kankuro stared at Ai, his mouth slightly open.

"Kankuro-San, it's good to see you,"

"Ai-San, it's good to see you too," Kankuro said as he smiled warmly.

"Well, let's eat!" Temari said happily.

* * *

Ai sat on the couch and looked out the window. A full moon hung in the air. 

"Temari-Chan…" Ai began.

Temari looked up at Ai.

"Yeah?"

"Where's…Gaara-Kun…?"

"Well, you know him… It's a full moon," Temari said with a smile.

Ai got up from her seat and walked out the door.

* * *

Ai stood on the roof of Temari's house. She walked forward slowly as she noticed Gaara's outline. 

Gaara looked up at the moon, not knowing that anyone was near him.

'_Ai…_'

Ai wrapped her arms around herself. She slowed down to a halt and continued looking at Gaara. Her eyes softened.

"Gaara-Kun…" she called out quietly.

Gaara continued looking up at the moon. Ai looked away and smiled faintly.

"Thank you…" she whispered.

Gaara continued looking up at the moon. He remained silent. Ai walked towards him. She bent down beside him and brushed her lips against his cheek.

Gaara's eyed widened as he turned to see Ai walking away. He touched his cheek softly and looked back up at the moon.

Ai's face ran through his mind. A smile tugged at his lips.

* * *

"Goodnight, Temari-Chan, Kankuro-San," Ai said with a smile. 

"Goodnight," Temari and Kankuro said in unison.

* * *

An hour passed by quickly. Kankuro lay down on his bed and looked out the window, at the moon. Natsumi's grinning face ran through his mind. 

He blushed lightly and shut his eyes as he fell asleep.

* * *

Natsumi leaned against the wall and crossed her arms. She looked out window, at the moon, and smiled. 

"Goodnight….Kankuro-Kun…Temari-Chan…Gaara-San… and Nee-Chan…"

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! 


	7. Good to See You

I'm sorry for the long wait! Please forgive me!

Here's chapter seven! I hope you enjoy it!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of you_

Chapter Seven- Good to see you

* * *

Ai sat on the couch, folding the clothes.

"Ai-Chan, you don't have to do that- you're a guest here!" Temari said as she walked through the door. Ai looked up and smiled.

"It's alright, I owe you guys," Ai replied, grinning.

Temari's eyes softened as she smiled warmly.

-Memory-

_"Ai-Chan, why are you cooking? You're a guest here," Temari said, looking at Ai strangely._

_Ai looked up at Temari and grinned._

_"It's alright- we're friends! Friends help each other, right?" _

_Temari smiled and started helping Ai. Ai looked at her curiously._

_"Friends help each other, right?" Temari said, smiling widely. _

_Kankuro walked into the kitchen to see the two little girls cooking._

_"I'm hungry," he said, pouting._

_Ai and Temari started laughing. _

_Ai looked out the window to see Gaara looking up at the moon. Temari's gaze followed Ai's and she smiled._

-End Memory-

"Temari-Chan, are you ok?"

Temari snapped out of her thoughts and sat down beside Ai. Temari began folding the clothes as well. Ai looked at her and raised her eyebrow.

"Friends help each other, right?" Temari said happily.

Ai smiled and nodded as they continued folding the clothes.

* * *

Natsumi stood in the kitchen, humming quietly. 

"We're going out, cook your breakfast and go back to your room," Arisu said quietly as she followed Nori out the door.

Natsumi looked at where her mother had stood. She blinked in curiosity and turned to her breakfast.

'_Okaa-San's been acting differently lately…_' she thought with a shrug.

The phone began ringing. Natsumi walked out of the kitchen and picked up the phone.

"Takahashi Resi-"

"Natsumi-Chan- This is Emi!"

Natsumi grinned widely.

"Emi-Chan! It's so good to talk to you, how have you been?"

"I've been great, Natsumi-Chan. We haven't talked in a while- I was starting to get worried about you guys. How's Ai doing?"

"She's doing great," Natsumi said happily.

"That's good… Anyway, I just phoned to tell you guys to tell you that I'm getting married!"

Natsumi gasped quietly.

"Congratulations, Emi-Chan! Who's the lucky guy?"

"Akira, you remember him, right?"

"Of course I remember him! You've had a crush on him ever since you were little!"

Natsumi could hear Emi laughing on the phone.

"I'd love it if you and Ai could come to the wedding," Emi said, smiling.

"Of course we'll come, when is it?"

"In two weeks, on the 28th."

Emi told Natsumi where the wedding was going to be held.

"Well, I'd better go now," Emi began. "I've missed you so much."

"We've missed you too," Natsumi said, still smiling.

"Okay, well, take care- bye!"

"Bye," Natsumi said as she put down the phone.

'_Okaa-San and O-tou-San aren't going to be back for another two hours… Maybe I could-…_'

Natsumi looked out the window and grinned. She grabbed her sweater and ran out the door.

* * *

Natsumi slowed down to a halt and smiled. She raised her hand and knocked on the door.

* * *

Ai and Temari looked up as someone knocked on the door. Kankuro walked out of his room, packing his kunai knives and shuriken. 

Temari got up from her seat and opened the door. Her eyes widened slightly.

"Temari-Chan!"

Ai stood up from her seat and walked towards the door. Kankuro stood quietly, trying to look at the person at the door.

"Imouto-Chan, what are you doing here?" Ai said, looking at Natsumi dumbly.

Natsumi grinned and hugged Ai tightly. Kankuro moved his head- his eyes widened. Natsumi grinned and looked around the room. She froze and stared at Kankuro. Ai and Temari looked at Kankuro, then back at Natsumi. Ai smiled and tapped Natsumi's shoulder. Natsumi snapped out of her trance and smiled at Kankuro.

"Hi, Kankuro-Kun," she said happily.

Kankuro stammered as his face turned red. Natsumi shifted uncomfortably in her spot. Temari and Ai resisted the urge to laugh. Ai covered her face and grinned.

"Imouto-Chan, is something wrong?"

Natsumi looked at Ai and shook her head quickly. Kankuro's eyes roamed over her body. He shook his head and walked past them.

"I'll see you guys later," he muttered.

Natsumi watched him walk away. She blushed and turned to see Ai and Temari looked her, grinning. Natsumi laughed nervously and scratched her head.

"Ummm… Hi," she said sheepishly.

Temari began chuckling as Ai giggled. Natsumi smiled at her sister's happy face.

"Oh, I came to tell you that Emi-Chan's getting married!"

Ai smiled and nodded.

"I know, she called this morning and invited Temari-Chan and Kankuro-San as well," Ai replied.

Natsumi muttered 'oh,' and smiled.

"Well, I guess I should come back home," Ai said with a frown.

"No," Natsumi began, smiling. "Don't come home."

Ai looked at her curiously.

"Why not…?"

"Just don't come back… Temari-Chan, can Nee-Chan stay here?"

"Of course," Temari said as she smiled.

"Imouto-Chan, are you sure…?"

Natsumi grinned and nodded.

"I should go back before Okaa-San and O-tou-San come home."

Natsumi and Temari nodded. Natsumi hugged them quickly and ran out the door. Ai and Temari glanced at each other and grinned. Temari looked up at the clock.

"I have to go, I have a mission!"

Ai nodded and Temari grabbed her fan and ran out the door. Ai closed the door and locked it. She plopped down on the couch and looked up at the ceiling.

* * *

Natsumi began running back to her house. She looked behind her while running, and slammed into someone. 

"Itai-…" she muttered. She looked down and froze. Her eyes widened.

"K- Kankuro-Kun!"

Kankuro looked up at Natsumi. They began blushing furiously. A few people turned their heads and looked at them. Natsumi crawled off him quickly.

"I- I- I'm so sorry! I was just looking back and I didn't realize you were there! A- Are you ok? Did I hurt you?"

Kankuro stood up quietly. Natsumi looked at him nervously.

"K- Kankuro-Kun?"

"I'm okay," he muttered. Natsumi sighed in relief. She smiled sheepishly.

"Ah, I have to go home!"

Natsumi ran a few steps and stopped. Kankuro looked at her curiously. Natsumi turned around and ran back to Kankuro. She gave him a peck on the cheek and took off.

"Bye, Kankuro-Kun!"

Kankuro stood with his mouth open and his face burning.

* * *

Natsumi slammed the door and locked it. She looked around the house and sighed. 

"Made it," she muttered. She quickly took off her jacket and threw it in a closet.

"And where have you been?"

Natsumi jumped and turned around to see her mother standing there with her arms crossed.

Natsumi opened her mouth, and closed it.

"Well, I…um…." Natsumi pointed to the door.

"I uh…Went to… Get dinner," she said slowly.

Her mother raised her eyebrow.

"And where is the dinner?" she asked, looking at Natsumi's empty hands.

Natsumi stammered as her fingers shook.

"Well, I ran into Emi-Chan! You remember her, right? She was in our group- you know for the teams- I mean- because we're ninja- I mean, not that I'm a ninja- I'm not a ninja anymore because of O-tou-San….," Natsumi began.

Her mother's eyes softened as she uncrossed her arms.

"Anyway, I ran into Emi-Chan, and we started talking and I completely forgot about dinner because Emi-Chan's getting married to Akira-San!"

Arisu smiled faintly.

"Natsumi… I'll cook dinner today," Arisu said quietly as she walked into the kitchen.

Natsumi looked at her questioningly.

"Okaa-San… Is something wrong?"

Arisu looked at her daughter and sighed.

"Come here," she said quietly.

Arisu walked out of the kitchen and up to her room. Natsumi followed her cautiously.

* * *

Arisu pulled out a bag from underneath her bed and handed it to Natsumi. Natsumi opened the bag and looked at the photo album. 

"Okaa-San…"

"Don't look at it when your father is at home, okay?"

Natsumi smiled and nodded. She gave her mother a quick hug and went to her bedroom. Arisu smiled and walked down to the kitchen.

Natsumi opened the photo album eagerly and smiled at the first picture. Her eyes ran over the happy faces of Ai, Emi, their old sensei and herself. She closed the album and held it close to her chest. She looked out the window, up at the sky.

"Thank you, Okaa-San," Natsumi said quietly.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review please! 


	8. Incomprehensible Feelings

Disclaimer: I only own my own characters and such.

A special thanks to my reviewers! I love you guys!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of you_

Chapter Eight- Incomprehensible Feelings

* * *

Natsumi's eyes snapped open as she shot up in bed.

'_That bandage…around Nee-Chan's head… That wasn't there before she left with Ichiro…_'

Natsumi frowned as her hands shook slightly.

"That bastard did something to her…" she muttered.

Her gaze ran to the window slowly. She squinted her eyes as the sun began rising. Her small hands clenched into fists.

* * *

Ai tossed and turned in bed. Memories if the night with Ichiro ran through her mind. 

"No-!" Ai shot up in bed and looked around the room quickly. She breathed heavily. Cold sweat poured down her face slowly. She rubbed her eyes as her breathing slowed down to normal. Ai sighed and shut her eyes. She rested her head in her hands.

Ai bit her bottom lip before swinging her legs over the edge of her bed. She stood up slowly and looked out the window. She looked over to where the Kazekage's office was.

'_Temari-Chan and Kankuro-San aren't going to be home for a little while…maybe I could-…_'

Ai smiled and grabbed some of Temari's old clothes.

* * *

Ai pulled the shirt over her head quickly. She tugged the shirt and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes ran down to her feet nervously. Ai looked back up at the mirror and smiled. She grabbed her small black bag and ran out the door, closing it behind her. 

She came to a halt and felt the bandage around her head. She took the bandage off carefully and stuffed it in her bag. Her smile grew slightly as she ran to Gaara's office.

* * *

Ai stood nervously. She tugged her skirt again and put her bangs behind her ears. She walked forward nervously. A young man carrying papers stopped and looked at her. He smiled widely and walked towards her. 

"Hi, my name's Kenji- how can I help you?"

Ai stammered slightly.

"I- I- I came to see- I mean, I- I was wondering if you needed help or anything…"

Kenji's smile grew wider.

"You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear that!" he said happily as he pushed the papers into Ai's hands. She looked at him strangely, and then looked down at the papers.

"I'll be on a break if you need me!" He shouted as he walked out the doors.

'_A person like that…working _here_…is that allowed_?'

"We're busy today! Give those papers to Kazekage-Sama!" someone shouted.

Ai jumped slightly and walked to the large doors in front of her.

'_Aren't you busy everyday if you work here…?_' Ai thought as she shook her head.

She raised her hand shakily and knocked on the large doors twice. She heard a muffled voice telling her to come in.

Ai opened the door slowly and looked around the room. She noticed Gaara looking out the window.

Gaara stood silently. Ai walked in slowly and closed the door behind her. She turned around quickly and dropped some papers.

Ai bent forward as all the papers fell out of her hands. Her face grew hotter as she dropped to her knees and picked up the papers.

Gaara turned slowly and froze.

"I- I- I- I'm really s- sorry…" Ai stammered quietly.

Gaara walked towards her and bent down. Ai looked up at him shyly for a moment before looking back down. Gaara reached forward and picked up some papers. Gaara looked down at Ai's hands and saw them shaking slightly.

Ai kept her eyes lowered as she picked up the last paper. Gaara and Ai stood up quickly and silently.

"I- um…N- No one was at home…and I- I- figured I could help…" she stammered.

Gaara looked at her red face. Ai kept her head down. Her hands continued to shake slightly. Gaara took the papers from her hands and put them on his desk.

"Where's Kenji?"

Ai continued looking down.

"He- He went…um…H- He's on a break…"

Gaara nodded slightly and looked down at the papers.

"You can go…" Gaara said quietly as his back faced Ai.

Ai raised her head quickly and looked at him. Her eyes ran back to the ground as she nodded. She turned around and walked to the door.

Gaara's eyes widened as he raised his head. He turned around quickly to see that Ai was gone. His hand clenched into a fist.

_'…What's going on…? Why do I feel-…_'

* * *

Ai felt tears prickling her eyes. She rubbed her eyes and walked down the street. She turned around once and looked back. 

Ai sighed and walked to Temari's house, looking at the ground.

* * *

Ai bumped into someone and looked up quickly. 

"I'm sorry, I didn't-…"

Her voice trailed off. She stepped back quickly. She looked into Ichiro's angry eyes. Ai's gaze ran to the three large men behind him. She recognized them quickly. Fear etched its way onto Ai's face. Ai held onto her bag tightly and ran past them.

She looked back to see them running towards her. Ai ran into a nearby alley. She skidded to a halt and froze. Ai looked around at her surroundings.

'_There's no way out…_'

She heard deep voices behind her. A single tear ran down her face as she turned around. One of the men quickly covered Ai's mouth.

'_Not again- not again, please_!'

Ichiro stood in front of her, looking at her angrily. His angry frown quickly turned to a smirk. The man who covered Ai's mouth licked his lips as he looked down at her chest. Tears of anger and fear poured down her face. Ichiro sent a kick to Ai's stomach. Ai groaned as she fell back.

Ichiro and one of the men walked to the front of the alley and stood there.

The large man uncovered her mouth and pulled out a kunai knife. Ai stood frozen to her spot.

"Don't you dare scream…" he muttered angrily. Ai could smell alcohol in his breath.

She raised her hand and punched his nose. He doubled back and held his nose. Ai tried running away, but was held back by another man. The man who held his nose stood up angrily and walked towards Ai. He grabbed her and ripped off her shirt as the other man held her. He held the kunai knife up and Ai was about to scream. Ai stood silently as the tears continued to pour down her face. He raised his hands allowed them to roam over Ai's body.

* * *

'_Damn it_…' 

Gaara punched his desk and walked out his office.

Kenji looked at Gaara curiously.

"Kazekage-Sama-…"

Gaara walked past him quickly.

Kenji scratched his head in confusion and shrugged.

* * *

"Stop it, please," Ai said quietly. 

The men glared at her as one of them slapped her. Ai breathed heavily.

'_I don't care- I'll scream…It's not like I'm needed in this world…_'

Ai opened her mouth and screamed. Ichiro and the three men looked at Ai angrily. One of them gripped the kunai knife tightly and put it against Ai's face. He cut her cheek slowly as he glared at her. Ai winced in pain.

Gaara froze as he heard someone scream. He turned around and walked back to where he heard the scream. He looked towards a dark alley and noticed Ichiro. He walked towards him slowly.

Ichiro turned to see Gaara walking towards him. He gulped in fear and stepped back. People on the street stopped and turned to see Gaara.

"Wh- What do you want now, you bastard?" Ichiro asked angrily. Gaara continued to walk towards Ichiro silently.

Ai looked up through her blurry eyes. Her bottom lip trembled as the men held her arms tightly.

"Gaara…" she said quietly as she whimpered.

"Gaara-!"

Gaara's eyes ran to Ai. His hands curled into fists. Gaara stood face-to-face with Ichiro. Ichiro looked at him fearfully. Gaara's fist collided with Ichiro's nose. Ichiro fell back and grabbed his nose as it bled heavily.

"You asshole- go kill yourself, you monster!"

Ai stopped crying at Ichiro's words. Gaara narrowed his eyes as sand circled itself around Ichiro. Ichiro screamed as he tried to stand up. He looked back at the large, drunken men and glared at them.

"What the Hell are you waiting for? Kill him!"

The men ran past Ichiro and stumbled as sand curled around their feet and hands. Ai dropped down to her knees and looked up at Gaara's angry face. Tears began pouring down her face again. She looked down as she heard the crunching of bones and screams of agony. She picked up her ripped shirt shakily and wrapped it around herself as best as she could. The quiet murmurs of the villagers could be heard. They walked away from the alley quickly, not wanting to be close to Gaara. All four of the men fell down with their hands and feet out at strange angles. They slipped out of consciousness quickly.

Ai wrapped her arms around herself and continued crying quietly. Gaara walked towards her slowly and bent down in front of her.

"Ai…Are you okay…?"

Ai looked up as her eyes became redder. Gaara's eyes softened slightly. Ai threw her arms around Gaara and buried her face in his chest. Her tears started soaking through Gaara's shirt slowly. Gaara raised his arms awkwardly and hugged her back. Gaara stood up slowly, keeping his arms around Ai.

"Come on…" he whispered as he walked past the bodies on the ground.

Ai's tears stopped slowly as a faraway look placed itself on her face. People stopped to look at them for a moment. Gaara ignored their confused faces and continued walking slowly. Ichiro's words ran through Ai's mind continuously.

'_He's…not…a monster…_'

Gaara and Ai stopped walking when they faced Temari's house. Gaara dropped his hands and looked at Ai through the corner of his eye. Ai looked down and shifted uncomfortably. They stood in an awkward silence.

"Go inside, Temari should be there…" Gaara said as he turned away.

'_Come on…say something…_' Ai thought to herself.

"Gaara-Kun," she said quickly.

Gaara stopped, but had his back facing her again. Ai looked down nervously.

"Thank you…" she said, barely above a whisper.

Gaara nodded and walked back to his office. Ai sighed and walked into the house slowly. She turned around to see that Gaara was already gone. Her hands shook slightly as she closed the door.

Gaara looked at her from somewhere else for a moment before she closed the door. He turned around and continued walking back to his office.

* * *

Ai stood with her back leaning against the door. She looked down and shut her eyes for a moment. She could hear the sound of water hitting the ground quietly and knew that Temari was in the shower. Ai walked into the room she was staying in and plopped down on the bed. She ran her fingers over the cut on her cheek 

'_What's wrong with me…?_'

* * *

The day passed by quickly. Ai sat on her bed, looking out at the darkened sky. She hugged her knees and looked up at the tiny stars twinkling outside. A single tear ran down her face. 

'_Gaara…_'

Ai crawled into bed and closed her eyes as another tear ran down her face. She fell into a deep sleep quickly.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review please! 


	9. Smile

I'm so sorry for the late chapter- please forgive me!

A special thanks to my readers and reviewers! I love you!

Disclaimer: I only own my own characters and such.

_Drifting off in Thoughts of you_

Chapter Nine- Smile

* * *

The week had passed by slowly and uneventfully. Temari and Kankuro had left Ai alone once again. Ai sat up in bed and looked around. The bruise around her eye had healed considerably over the past week. Ai stood up and looked out the window. Her eyes ran to the people on the street. She smiled as she noticed a little girl walking around giving flowers to the elderly people. Ai looked up at the clock on the wall as her jaw dropped slightly.

'_I slept in… It's almost noon…_' Ai thought as she rubbed her eyes and walked out of the room.

"It's almost noon…" she muttered as a smile tugged at her lips. '_I haven't seen Gaara since…_'

Ai grabbed her clothes and got ready quickly.

* * *

Ai stood over the stove, cooking lunch. Her mind wandered off in thoughts of a certain red-haired man. 

'_Does Gaara-Kun even eat …? What am I thinking…? Of course he eats…_' Ai shook her head and smiled as she packed the food.

* * *

Ai's head turned in numerous directions as she walked to Gaara's office. She looked behind her and walked up to his office. 

"You again…?"

Ai turned her head to see Kenji smiling at her.

"Yeah…I need to see Ga-…I mean….Kazekage-Sama," Ai said with a small smile. Kenji nodded towards the large doors in front of her. He walked towards Ai and said quietly.

"I think something's bothering him, though… Just so you know."

Ai nodded and thanked him as she walked to the doors. She raised her hand and knocked on the door shakily. She stood back for a few moments in silence. Ai raised her eyebrow and turned the door knob. She poked her head in and looked around the room to see Gaara in his desk, looking over numerous reports.

Gaara raised his head and stood up.

"I thought you might be hungry…So I brought some food," Ai said with a shy smile tugging at her lips. Gaara kept his face straight.

"You should have stayed at home," he said bluntly.

Ai's smile faded slightly.

"I know, but I just thought…I mean…" Ai trailed off as she lowered her head.

"I'm sorry…" she added quietly.

Gaara turned his eyes away from Ai for a moment.

"It's…alright…" he said, not looking at her. Ai looked back up at him and smiled as she walked towards his desk. She set the food down and looked down while blushing faintly. They stood in an awkward silence.

"I like your office…It's really…big," Ai said with a nervous smile.

"Hn," Gaara muttered as he continued looking over the reports. Ai began humming quietly as she looked out the window. Gaara looked at her through the corner of his eyes. She smiled at the villagers walking on the streets. She raised her hand and touched the window gently as she noticed a little girl walking with her parents. Her eyes held a pained look.

Gaara stood up silently and walked over to Ai as his hand rose slowly. He froze and looked at his hand for a moment. His hand dropped down to his side as Ai turned around. She blushed as she noticed how close she was to Gaara. A faint hint of red rose to Gaara's cheeks.

Ai looked up at him shyly and shifted uncomfortably. Gaara found himself unable to tear his eyes away from Ai. Their faces grew hotter as they unconsciously moved closer to each other.

"Kazekage-Sama, I have the other rep-…" Kenji trailed off as he noticed Ai and Gaara.

Ai began blushing furiously.

"Perhaps I should come back later…" he said uncertainly.

"No, I was just about to go," Ai said quickly as she walked out the door. Gaara looked at her walk away.

Ai stopped and turned to look at Gaara once again. She smiled shyly and continued to walk away.

"Kazekage-Sama?"

Gaara snapped out of his thoughts and nodded towards the desk. Kenji nodded and put the papers down and ran out of Gaara's office. He closed the doors behind him quickly.

* * *

Kenji shook his head and smiled. 

'_I should start knocking…_'

* * *

Gaara eyed the food on his desk. He reached forward and began eating in silence.

* * *

Ai shook her head as she walked home. 

'_What… was I about to do…?_'

"Ai-Chan?"

Ai jumped and snapped out of her thoughts as she turned around. Her eyes widened and she smiled widely.

"Emi-Chan!"

Emi ran over and hugged Ai tightly. Her golden curly hair bounced as she stepped back. Her smile faltered as she noticed the healing bruise on Ai's face.

"What happened there?" Emi asked as she pointed to Ai's face.

"Oh…I um… I had to…I mean, there was a-…" Ai trailed off as Emi looked at her with concern.

"Did someone…hit you? I mean, of course someone hit you- but who was it?"

Ai shook her head and smiled.

"Don't worry about it…It's good to see you!"

Emi smiled again and nodded.

"It's great to see you too! Are you busy?"

"No, I was just taking a walk," Ai said, still smiling.

"Emi-!"

Emi and Ai turned to see a tall brown-haired man waving at them.

"Is that…Akira-San?" Ai asked curiously.

Emi blushed and nodded. Ai grinned at her red face.

"Love love, kissy kissy," Ai said, giggling. Emi's face grew hotter as she grinned.

"I have to go, we're getting some stuff ready the wedding…We should meet up again sometime."

Ai nodded.

"Yeah, we should."

Emi smiled and hugged Ai once again before waving and running towards Akira. Ai watched them walk out of sight before she turned around and walked towards Temari's house.

* * *

Ai took off her sweater and folded it. She placed it on the bed in the room she was staying in and sighed. She plopped down to the ground and looked up at the ceiling. A smile tugged at her lips. She looked down as she blushed furiously. A giggle escaped her mouth as she walked out of the bedroom and grabbed a small snack.

* * *

Natsumi sat on the floor, looking through the photo album once again. She flipped a page slowly. A small picture slipped into her lap. She picked up the picture and raised her eyebrow. Natsumi noticed Ai in the picture, with another boy. His blood red hair covered his eyes slightly. His emerald eyes twinkled in the picture as Ai stood up behind him with her arms around his neck. 

'_Who…is that…?_'

Natsumi shut the photo album as she heard her father's shouts. She stood up quickly and opened the door slightly. Her eyes widened.

"What the Hell is wrong with you?"

Natsumi could see Nori pushing her mother against the wall. He hit her numerous times. Tears streamed down Arisu's eyes, but she remained quiet. Natsumi opened her door and stepped outside.

"What are you doing?"

Nori glared at Natsumi.

"Go to your room!"

"No-!" Natsumi shouted as she pushed Nori. Nori raised his hand angrily. Natsumi stood frozen as Arisu stood in front of her.

"Okaa-San…"

Arisu's cheek began stinging.

"I won't let you to hurt her," Arisu said quietly. Natsumi stood with her mouth slightly open. Her bottom lip began quivering. Nori grabbed her mother's arm and pushed her into their bedroom. He locked the door quickly. After a few moments of silence, Natsumi could hear her mother crying.

Natsumi pounded on the door.

"Don't hurt her-!" Natsumi shouted.

"Natsumi, get out of the house! Get out, right now!" Her mother's muffled words could be heard.

"Okaa-San-!"

"Get out, now!"

Natsumi reluctantly ran out of the house.

* * *

Natsumi skidded to a halt and breathed heavily. She pounded on the door in front of her. 

"Nee-Chan, open the door!"

Ai opened the door to see Natsumi looked at her with fear. Natsumi grabbed Ai's arm.

"We have to go- we have to go right now!"

"Imouto-Chan, what's wrong? Why are you-?"

"O-tou-San's hurting Okaa-San, we have to go- now!"

Ai's eyes widened as she locked the door behind her.

"Let's go," Ai said quickly as they took off.

* * *

Ai pushed the door open and ran upstairs. 

"Okaa-San-!"

Ai and Natsumi looked at the ground and found a small puddle of blood. Ai picked her mother's bedroom door and ran inside. Arisu sat on the ground with her head lowered, and her breathing heavy.

"Okaa-San-…" Natsumi's voice trailed off.

Blood prickled down Arisu's head. Some of the skin on her arms had peeled off. Ai turned to a small box in front of the closet. She opened the box quickly and took out bandages. Chakra flowed to Ai's fingers.

Ai stayed quiet as she began healing the wound on her mother's head. Arisu continued breathing heavily and kept her eyes closed. After ten minutes, Ai's hand moved down to her mother's arms. In a few minutes, the skin and redness on her arms had disappeared. Ai grabbed the bandage and wrapped it around her mother's head.

"Just in case… She's got a fever too…" she muttered. Arisu's breathing slowed down to normal as she looked up at Ai. She raised her hand slowly and touched Ai's cheek lightly.

"Get some rest, Okaa-San," Ai said quietly, with a small smile. Arisu coughed as Ai and Natsumi helped her up. They walked to Ai's old room and helped her lie in the bed. Ai and Natsumi walked out of the room and closed the door behind them.

"I didn't think O-tou-San would hurt Okaa-San…" Natsumi said quietly. "I couldn't do anything," her eyes began stinging.

"It's okay, she'll be fine," Ai began. "I'll stay for a bit though…" she added, walking to the kitchen.

"I don't think O-tou-San will be here for a while…"

* * *

Natsumi walked upstairs with a bowl of hot soup. She gently kicked the door open and noticed Ai sitting with Arisu. Ai checked Arisu's pulse. Arisu opened her eyes and looked around the room, slightly dizzy. 

"Okaa-San, how are you feeling now?" Ai asked quietly as Natsumi set the bowl down on a nearby table. Arisu took off the blanket.

"Hot," she muttered. Ai took the blanket and covered her again.

"I know it's hot, but you've got a fever," Ai said quietly as her mother sat up. Arisu nodded and looked down at her hands.

"You never stopped… Never stopped studying…"

"Okaa-San, we come from a clan of healers… Of course I would never stop studying," Ai said, smiling. Natsumi grinned at her mother.

"Come here, both of you…" Arisu said quietly.

Ai and Natsumi looked at each other curiously as they sat on the bed. Arisu pulled them closer and embraced them. She began weeping.

"Okaa-San…" Ai said quietly.

"My beautiful children," she said, still weeping as she smiled. Ai and Natsumi smiled as they hugged her back.

"Our Okaa-San," they said in unison.

* * *

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Review, please! 


	10. Heartache

I'm back! I'm sorry! Well, I finished this chapter! I hope you guys enjoy it! Happy New Year- I love you guys!

Disclaimer (haven't done this in a while…): I only own my own characters! Everything else belongs to Kishimoto-San!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of You _

Chapter Ten- Heartache

* * *

Ai sat on a chair in the kitchen. Her eyes ran over the words in a large book she was holding.

"Nee-Chan?"

Ai looked up and set the book on the table as Natsumi walked into the kitchen.

"Is something wrong, Imouto-Chan?"

Natsumi shook her head and smiled.

"Okaa-San's fever is coming down- just thought you should know."

Ai nodded and smiled back as she picked up the book again.

"Thank you, Imouto-Chan," Ai said as she continued reading.

"Studying?" Natsumi asked curiously. Ai nodded again.

Natsumi nodded and began making some soup for Arisu.

"Nee-Chan… It's been three days- and O-tou-San hasn't come home yet…"'

Ai closed the book and looked up at her sister's worried face.

"I'm sure he's alright… probably staying with someone else- he'll be home soon," Ai said with a small smile. "I should get going; will you be able to watch Okaa-San?"

Natsumi nodded as Ai walked to the door.

"Imouto-Chan, when O-tou-San comes home- come get me, okay?"

"Okay, take care, Nee-Chan," Natsumi waved as Ai walked out the door.

* * *

A tall man stood in the shadows and looked at the young boy angrily. 

"What are you saying?"

"It's-…Ichiro…He's dead…"

"Get out…" he muttered angrily.

"But-,"

"Get out, now!"

The young boy ran out of the room quickly and slammed the door behind him. The elderly man sat down and looked around.

'_That…damn monster…_'

* * *

Ai looked around at the villagers as she walked to Temari's house. Her hands held the book in her arms tightly. Her mind began to wander quickly as she stepped up to the house. She froze as she raised her hand. 

_Gaara moved towards her and pressed his lips against hers firmly_.

Ai shook slightly as she lowered her hand. Thoughts of them together continued to flood her mind.

_Gaara's hands ran up her cold arms as he pulled her gently towards him._

Ai closed her eyes and pushed the door open. She dropped the book on the ground and ran into a room. She shut the door quickly and slunk to the ground. Ai raised her hand and held it over her chest.

'_Don't think like that-…don't…_' Ai's thoughts trailed off as she looked up at the ceiling. She shut her eyes quickly as Gaara's face entered her mind again. Ai bit her bottom lip gently and stood up. Her eyes fluttered open as she reached for the doorknob. She pulled the door open and picked up her book.

Ai sat down and shook her head before opening the book and allowing her eyes to wander over the words.

* * *

Ai looked up at the clock and smiled. She got up quickly and ran to the kitchen. Ai began humming quietly as she prepared dinner. 

_Ai…_

Ai covered her ears as Gaara's voice entered her mind. She whimpered after a moment of silence as she uncovered her ears shakily.

'_Gaara-Kun…_' Ai thought as her eyes became watery. She smiled again and looked at the dinner.

She packed the dinner and ran out the door quickly. Ai locked the door behind her and looked up at the setting sun. She held the packed dinner tightly and ran to the Kazekage's office quickly.

* * *

Natsumi opened the door as her eyes widened. 

"O-tou-San…?"

* * *

"Kenji-San," Ai called quietly with a small smile. 

Kenji turned around and grinned as Ai walked towards him.

"Is…Kazekage-Sama busy…?"

Kenji shrugged and smiled as he noticed the packed dinner in her arms.

"Not really, no," he said quickly as he walked away from her. Ai blinked and walked up to the double large wooden doors. She hesitated for a moment before opening the door.

Gaara stood looking out the window. Ai stood quietly and looked back at the doors, debating on whether she should leave or not.

"Ai…?"

Ai jumped slightly and looked at Gaara, who looked at her blankly.

"I- I-…um…I b- brought you some d- d- dinner…" Ai said shakily as she raised her hands to show him the packed food. Her eyes ran down to his lips for a moment before she looked away from him. She walked to his desk and put the dinner down before turning around.

"I- I should go… um… B- Bye…Kazekage-Sama…"

Gaara's eyes flickered with a hint of confusion.

Ai bit her lip again and walked towards the door.

"Ai…"

Ai stopped walking and shut her eyes.

"Y- Yes, Kazekage-Sama…?"

A moment of silence passed. Ai opened to see Gaara standing in front of her with the doors closed behind him. She stepped back slightly and looked into his eyes. She held back another whimper and looked away from him. She shut her eyes again tightly.

'_Don't… Don't… Gaara-Kun, please don't_…'

Gaara touched her hand lightly. Ai flinched as her hand shot back. Gaara looked at her with curiosity and a hint of pain.

"I-…have to go…" Ai said quickly as she opened her eyes and looked at the doors behind him. Gaara touched her hand shakily. Ai stepped away from him and whimpered.

'_Please don't…_'

"Ai…" Gaara began.

Gaara and raised their heads as they heard muffled yelling.

"Imouto-Chan…?"

Natsumi pushed the doors open, her breathing rapid. She ran towards Ai and grabbed her arm roughly.

"Imouto-Chan, what's going-?"

"We have to go- NOW!"

"Imouto-Chan-!"

Ai was cut off as they ran out of Gaara's office. After a moment of watching the two sisters run away, Gaara followed after them.

"Kazekage-Sama-!" Kenji called. He scratched his head and looked at Gaara's office.

'_Strange…_'

* * *

Ai and Natsumi skidded to a halt before the door. Ai looked down to see a puddle of blood on the ground. Natsumi ran inside. 

"Hurry up, Nee-Chan!"

Ai ran inside quickly and followed the trail of blood upstairs. Her eyes wandered before they landed on her father, who lay on the ground with a puddle of blood surrounding him.

"O-tou-San-!"

Arisu sat with his head in her lap, she cried loudly. Nori turned his head slightly and looked at Ai through watery eyes.

"Ai-…"

Ai stepped over the puddles of blood and sat down beside Nori.

"O-tou-San…"

Ai began shaking greatly.

"Help him, Nee-Chan!"

Ai shook her head shakily as chakra ran to her hands.

"No…" Nori croaked.

Water filled Ai's eyes. She put her hands to his chest.

"No more…Ai…"

"Don't worry, O-tou-San- I can help-..."

Ai's lip quivered. She shut her eyes as the chakra shifted to Nori's body. Nori raised his hand and held her arm.

"No…" he croaked again.

Ai looked at the blood that continued to gush out of his body.

"O-tou-San, I can fix it-!"

Chakra continued running over the expanding wound. Nori coughed, bits of blood washed his teeth red. Ai's hands shook rapidly.

Nori smiled faintly.

"Not O-tou-San… I'm not-…"

Ai remained silent as tears ran down her face. Her chakra flickered slightly. Her breath got caught in her throat.

The chakra flickered once again and stopped.

"Nee-Chan…"

She breathed heavily and tried to send more chakra to her hands. Ai whimpered as her hands continued shaking.

"Ai…No more…" Nori said quietly. His eyes began rolling.

"Stay with me…Ai…"

Ai continued whimpering. Her hands stayed above his body. She shakily moved and held his hand tightly.

"O-tou-…San…" Ai lowered her head and allowed it to fall on his wound. He flinched as his body went limp. A sob escaped Arisu's mouth. Natsumi fell to her knees. Ai closed her eyes as tears ran down her face.

* * *

Ai sat silently as blood continued to cover her face. She hadn't tried to move for what seemed like an eternity. Hadn't known how much time had passed. She could hear Natsumi's footsteps fading away. She knew that her mother had left long ago, known that she was now asleep. Ai opened her eyes and stared at the wall with a distant look on her face. She had no idea how long ago the tears stopped flowing from her eyes, the only thing she knew was that Nori's body had gotten colder. 

"Ai…"

Someone was calling her.

'_Gaara-Kun…?_"

Ai sighed quietly and closed her eyes again.

"Goodnight…O-tou-San…" Ai said quietly.

Ai felt somebody wrapping their arms around her. It felt familiar. Blood dripped down her face as she was lifted from the ground. She kept her eyes shut. The voice began fading away.

"Gaara-Kun…?" she whispered, before blackness engulfed her mind.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Review please! 


	11. Tears

**MAKE SURE YOU READ CHAPTER TEN**! (I replaced the note with a chapter.)

Disclaimer: I only own my own characters. Everything else belongs to Kishimoto-San!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. _Special thanks to_: My readers and reviewers- I love you!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of You_

Chapter Eleven- Tears

_Blood_

_

* * *

_  
Ai shot up in bed and looked around the room wildly.

'_O-tou-San…_'

She crawled out of bed quickly and ran out the door. Ai looked around. Dry blood stains remained on the floor, but the body was gone.

'_O-tou-San…_' Ai thought again, as she dropped to her knees.

"I couldn't-…I didn't….save him…"

Her small hands clenched into fists as a tear rolled down her cheek.

"Nee-Chan…"

Ai looked up and turned around to see Natsumi looking at her blankly.

"Get out…"

Ai's brows furrowed as another tear rolled down her face.

"Imouto-Chan… What-…?"

"Just go! Get out…Now!"

"But- Imouto-Chan…" Ai said shakily as she stood up. Natsumi stepped forward angrily and pushed Ai towards the stairs.

"Go away! We don't want you here! We don't _need_ you here!"

"Imou-!"

"Stop it! Just go!"

Natsumi pushed her again and Ai slipped, and fell down the stairs.

Ai sat up angrily, and stood up after a moment.

"Imouto-Chan!"

Natsumi walked down the stairs and glared at Ai. She brought her hand up and struck Ai across the face.

Water filled Ai's eyes again.

"Imouto…Chan…?"

"Just go…" Natsumi said quietly as she pushed Ai out the door. Natsumi slammed the door shut and locked it.

Ai turned her head away and walked away from the house slowly. She turned once and looked back, hoping that someone would open the door and welcome her back, but no one did. Tears ran down her face heavily as she ran away.

* * *

"Natsumi…?" 

Natsumi turned to see her mother with red, puffy eyes staring at her. Natsumi's lips quivered. She ran and hugged her mother tightly. Tears began running down her face.

"I- If they find her here… T- They'll kill her t- too…."

Arisu began weeping quietly as they held onto each other.

* * *

Ai slammed the door to her room shut and dropped to her knees. She continued crying as she looked out the window. 

"O-tou-San…Help me, O-tou-San…"

She wrapped her arms around herself tightly.

'_No one… There's no one left... I'm… I'm all alone…_'

"I'm… alone…" she said quietly. "All…alone…"

Ai stood up slowly, leaning against the wall. She walked out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Lunch… for Gaara-Kun…Then… Then I'm leaving…"

Ai prepared his lunch slowly and walked out the door when she finished.

* * *

Kenji smiled as Ai walked through the door. 

"Ah- Why, Hello-!"

Ai walked past him slowly without even glancing at him. She stood in front of Gaara's office doors and inhaled, then exhaled deeply. She turned the doorknob and walked inside, closing the door behind her.

Kenji raised his eyebrow and shook his head.

"How strange…" he muttered.

* * *

Gaara sat at his desk and looked up at Ai. He stood up slowly and looked at her with concern. Ai put his lunch on his desk and turned around. 

"Ai…"

"I'm… Sorry…"

Their meeting yesterday flooded Gaara's mind.

"_I- I should go… um… B- Bye…Kazekage-Sama…"_

_Gaara's eyes flickered with a hint of confusion._

_Ai bit her lip again and walked towards the door._

"_Ai…"_

_Ai stopped walking and shut her eyes._

"_Y- Yes, Kazekage-Sama…?"_

_A moment of silence passed. Ai opened to see Gaara standing in front of her with the doors closed behind him. She stepped back slightly and looked into his eyes. She held back another whimper and looked away from him. She shut her eyes again tightly._

_Gaara touched her hand lightly. Ai flinched as her hand shot back. Gaara looked at her with curiosity and a hint of pain._

"_I-…have to go…" Ai said quickly as she opened her eyes and looked at the doors behind him. Gaara touched her hand shakily. Ai stepped away from him and whimpered._

Ai turned back around and walked towards Gaara. She raised her hand to his cheek. Before she could touch him, a wall of sand separated them. Her hand flinched.

Gaara sat back with a small hint of fear on his face.

'_All…alone…_'

Ai whimpered and ran out the door. The sand fell onto his desk. Gaara's eyes widened slightly as he watched Ai run away.

"Ai-!"

But she was gone. Gaara slunk onto his chair.

'_What's…wrong with me…?_'

* * *

Ai sat down and hugged her knees. 

'_No one…will be able to find me now…_'

She looked around, not quite familiar with her surroundings.

* * *

Hours passed by slowly. Ai rubbed her arms and stood up. The sky had darkened to a deep, dark shade of blue. She stood up shakily and walked around. No one was outside; all was silent except for the soft whispers of the breeze that swept past her. Her eyes ran over the sand on the ground as she looked for somewhere to sleep during the cold night. 

'_What am I going to do…?_'

_Ai…_

Ai covered her ears immediately. She bit her bottom lip and held back tears.

'_Stop__thinking about him… He doesn't love-… He doesn't love me…_'

Ai sat back down and closed her eyes as she leaned against a small shop.

* * *

Gaara sat with his head in his hands. Ai's voice whispered through his mind. 

_Gaara-Kun…?_

Gaara raised his head slowly and looked around the room.

_Gaara-Kun_

Ai's blushing face entered his thoughts.

_Ai touched him gently and blew softly into his ear. _

_Gaara-kun…_

Gaara hands flinched. Somebody knocked on his office door. The doorknob turned and Temari walked in, looking concerned.

"Gaara, have you seen Ai?"

Gaara stood up.

"No-… Isn't she at home…?"

Temari shook her head.

"She hasn't been home for hours," she said, her concern growing.

Gaara walked past her and went out the door. Kenji grinned.

"Hello, Kazekage-Sam-," he was cut off as Temari ran after him.

Kenji scratched his head again.

"Well…. He seems very happy," he said sarcastically.

* * *

Ai looked around once again and wrapped her arms around herself. The night seemed to grow colder. Ai sneezed and sniffled as she stood up. 

'_Maybe I should just go back to Temari-Chan's house…_'

Ai sighed and stepped forward.

'_How do I get back to Temari-Chan's house from here…?_' She looked around.

"I'm screwed…" she muttered as she sat back down and hugged her knees again.

* * *

Gaara and Temari stopped running as they noticed Ai sitting on the ground, hugging her knees. 

"Ai?" Temari called out.

Ai turned her head and smiled meekly with red, puffy eyes. Her smile disappeared as she noticed Gaara.

"I… had to… um… pick up dinner- and I got lost…" she said as she stood up.

Temari raised her eyebrow.

"I…see…"

Gaara stood quietly, noticing that Ai was trying to avoid looking at him.

"Shall we go then?" Temari said, smiling. Ai nodded shakily and followed after Temari slowly. She glanced at Gaara's blank face for a moment before turning away. His hand brushed against hers as he took off towards his office. Ai stopped for a moment.

"Ai…?"

Ai smiled again and continued to follow Temari.

'_Gaara-Kun…_'

* * *

'_I'm getting too old for this…_' A man with blood red hair and electric blue eyes thought as he wiped the sweat off his forehead. 

"Come on, old man! We have to get home fast!" his son shouted happily. His blood red hair fell in front of his emerald green eyes. His father looked at him dumbly.

'_What a strange child…_'

"Why are you in such a rush, Kiyoshi?" The older man asked while rubbing his head. Kiyoshi looked back at his father and raised an eyebrow.

"That's a pretty dumb question," Kiyoshi replied, grinning.

His father nodded.

"Yeah, I guess so- but it doesn't hurt to know why…"

Kiyoshi smiled warmly as he looked at the path he stood on.

"Because…I get to see my Imouto-Chan again… And my Okaa-San…"

His father, Hiroshi, smiled as well as he put his arm around his son's shoulders.

"Well, then… What are we waiting for? Let's go!"

Kiyoshi grinned and nodded as they walked forward.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review please! 

Kiyoshi- purity

Hiroshi- Generous


	12. Family Reunion

I'm sorry for the late update! A special thanks to my readers and reviewers! I love you!

_Drifting Off in Thoughts of You _

Chapter Twelve- Family Reunion

* * *

The sun rose quickly as Natsumi turned the doorknob.

"Natsumi?" A quiet voice called out from behind her. Natsumi turned around and smiled meekly.

"Okaa-San… Did I wake you?"

Arisu shook her head and looked at her curiously.

"Where are you going?"

Natsumi smiled and took out a kunai knife from a small pouch wrapped around her thigh. She twirled it between her fingers as her smile grew.

"To train," she said quickly.

"To train…?"

Natsumi held the kunai knife tightly and clenched her fingers so they wrapped around it. She held her fist out to her mother and grinned.

"Nee-Chan's not the only one who's going to protect her loved ones."

Arisu smiled and nodded. Natsumi walked out the door happily and closed it behind her. Arisu looked up at the ceiling.

"I wish you could see how our daughters have grown up…"

She shook her head and walked into the kitchen, preparing her breakfast.

* * *

"Old Man, we're almost there!" Kiyoshi said happily as he skipped forward. 

Hiroshi looked at him as if he was one of the stupidest people from Konoha.

"Kiyoshi… Normally children would call their father 'O-tou-San,' but you…"

"Nah, Old Man sounds much better!" he said, grinning at Hiroshi. Hiroshi sighed.

"This is all because of that Naruto-Kun, isn't it…?"

Kiyoshi continued to grin.

"Hey- you love him as much as I do! He's your buddy too," Kiyoshi replied. Hiroshi sighed again.

"Who wouldn't love that crazy boy?" he said, defeated.

-Memory-

_Kiyoshi stood up shakily, glaring at the ground._

_"Kiyoshi… still training?"_

_Kiyoshi looked at Naruto dumbly._

_"Shut up!" _

_After a moment of silence, Naruto and Kiyoshi burst out laughing. Sasuke crossed his arms and shook his head, watching the two laugh. Kiyoshi walked over to Sasuke and messed up his hair._

_"Sweet, Sasuke-Chan…How are you?"_

_Sasuke growled and glared at Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi grinned and ran away, waving to Naruto and Sasuke._

_"Cheer up, princess Sasuke! Later, Naruto!"_

-End Memory-

Kiyoshi chuckled and slapped his father on the back. Hiroshi fell forward and growled quietly.

"Let's go, Old Man! Hurry it up!" He said, skipping away from his father. Hiroshi sighed yet again and followed after Kiyoshi.

'_He's twenty-three…yet he acts as if he's three…What a strange boy…_'

* * *

Natsumi wiped the sweat off her forehead and smiled. 

"Well, that felt great! Now, two hundred push-ups!" She said with determination, before getting onto the ground.

"One…Two…Three…"

* * *

Ai sat up and looked around the room. She inhaled and exhaled deeply before getting out of bed. 

"Temari-Chan…?" she called, as she walked out of the room.

"In here!"

Ai walked into the kitchen to see Temari eating at the table.

"No missions today, Temari-Chan?"

"Nope, I finally get a break."

Ai smiled and nodded as she helped herself to some breakfast.

* * *

Kiyoshi came to a halt and stretched. His father walked up to him, holding his bag tightly while smiling. 

"Welcome home, Son…"

Kiyoshi grinned as his father messed up his hair.

"First stop… To see my sweet love…"

Kiyoshi looked up at his father curiously.

"Old man…"

"You know the truth… They don't…" Hiroshi replied, still smiling.

Kiyoshi nodded and smiled as they continued walking.

* * *

Natsumi grinned and walked inside. 

"Okaa-San-!"

"Eat something, Natsumi… You've been training all morning…"

Natsumi continued grinning and nodded as she sat down at the table.

'_That's the best I've ever felt…_'

Natsumi and Arisu raised their heads as they heard knocking on the door. Natsumi stood up quickly.

"I'll get it, Okaa-San, you can finish eating," she said as she walked to the door.

Natsumi turned the doorknob and raised her eyebrow to see two men grinning at her. Her eyes ran over their blood red hair and grinning faces.

"Okaa-San… Get some weapons…" Natsumi said quickly.

"No, no, no! We're not enemies!" the older man said quickly, putting his hands up defensively.

'_They look familiar…_' Natsumi thought, backing away from them.

"Imouto-Chan, you look so cute!"

Natsumi's eyes widened as she looked at the younger man strangely.

"Okaa-San-!"

Arisu walked up to Natsumi, not looking at the strangers standing in the doorway.

"Natsumi, what's-…?"

Arisu's voice trailed off, as her mouth hung slightly open.

"H- Hiroshi…?"

The older man smiled warmly.

"Arisu… How are you?"

Arisu's eyes rolled as she fell back.

"O- Okaa-San!" Kiyoshi yelled out. Natsumi froze and looked at the younger man, confused.

"What did you call her…?"

Hiroshi walked inside and picked up Arisu without difficulty. He grinned happily as he walked up to her room.

"H- Hey! You can't come in here without-!"

"You look different," Kiyoshi began. "Is…Ai here?"

"How do you know-…?"

"Because she's my Imouto-Chan, too!" Kiyoshi said, chuckling as he followed his father. Natsumi stood rooted to her spot, confused.

"Hey-! Don't hurt my Okaa-San!" Natsumi shouted as she shut the door and ran up the stairs.

* * *

Arisu stirred slightly as her eyes fluttered open. 

"Okaa-San, are you okay?" Natsumi asked worriedly.

"I had the strangest dream… There were two men and-…"

Arisu's eyes widened as she stared at Kiyoshi and Hiroshi.

"Don't faint again!" Hiroshi said quickly. Arisu's eyes rolled again as she fainted. Hiroshi sighed as Kiyoshi grinned. Kiyoshi started laughing at his father's glaring face. Natsumi looked at them intently.

"What exactly are you doing here? And how do you know Okaa-San…? Why did you call me Imouto-Chan?"

Kiyoshi quickly stopped laughing. He smiled sadly as his father did the same.

"She… really doesn't remember…" Kiyoshi said quietly.

"I thought everyone was lying… When they said you didn't remember us…" Hiroshi added while looking at Natsumi as a pained look etched its way onto his face.

"We'll wait until Arisu wakes up… Before we start explaining…"

* * *

Arisu's eyes opened quickly as she shot up in bed. She looked around the room and her eyes settled on Hiroshi. 

"Hiroshi…?" Her eyes became watery. She crawled out of bed quickly and wrapped her arms around him as a single tear ran down her face. Natsumi sat, confused. Hiroshi embraced her tightly and buried his nose in the crook of her neck.

"I've missed you so much…" Hiroshi whispered.

"Okaa-San… What the Hell is going on…?" Natsumi asked, standing shakily. Arisu hesitated before letting go of Hiroshi.

"I knew he wasn't telling the truth…I knew it…" Arisu said quietly as another tear ran down her face.

Natsumi began getting impatient.

"Okaa-San…" Natsumi called again. Arisu turned around and looked at Natsumi. Her bottom lip quivered as she tried to smile. Tears began running down her face quicker.

"Okaa-San…"

Natsumi and Arisu turned their heads to see Kiyoshi smiling.

"Kiyoshi…"

Kiyoshi's small smile quickly turned into a grin. Arisu gave him a small kiss on the forehead and hugged him tightly.

"My little boy…. All grown up…"

'_Her little boy…?_' Natsumi shook her head.

"Okaa-San, what's going on?"

"Natsumi… This is your brother… And your father…"

Natsumi looked at Arisu as if she was crazy.

"Okaa-San… What the Hell are you talking about?"

* * *

Ai stood up from her seat and sneezed. Temari raised her eyebrow and looked at Ai curiously. 

"Looks like someone's got a cold…" Temari said with a small smile. Ai smiled faintly.

"Yes… I'm sorry about that… And about yesterday, I didn't mean to cause any trouble… I was gone for so long…" Ai replied quietly, looking at the ground.

"Don't worry about it; you should get some rest… I'll do the dishes," Temari said, standing up while continuing to smile.

"But, Temari-San…"

Temari's smile faltered slightly.

'_Temari…San?_'

Ai quickly looked away.

"I don't mind… I'll do the dishes… You go on a lot of missions, you should be resting," Ai said as she picked up the dishes. Temari stayed quiet.

"Temari-…San…?"

Temari shook her head and smiled.

"Okay, but make sure you get some rest too…" She said as she walked into her room.

Ai did the dishes quickly and walked into her room.

* * *

Natsumi sat silently on the bed. Hiroshi and Kiyoshi looked at her curiously. 

"So… What you're trying to say is that… O-tou-San… isn't my father, but you're my father… And you're my brother… And I forgot about you two? I'm sorry, but that's not possible…"

Hiroshi sighed and looked down as he shook his head.

"I mean… How the hell would I forget about you two…?" Natsumi shut her eyes and shook her head. "Not possible," she repeated.

"Nori…" Arisu began. Natsumi's eyes opened as she raised her eyebrow. Arisu turned away from Natsumi and looked down sadly.

"He… forced you to forget…"

"How…?"

"Don't you remember…? He always hurt Ai… He said that if you didn't forget, he would kill her… And… The beatings became like a routine… Pretty soon, you forgot…"

Kiyoshi's eyes narrowed as he began muttering.

"Stupid, shitty bastard… I knew he was a fucking-…"

"Kiyoshi…" Hiroshi said warningly. Kiyoshi shut his mouth quickly with his eyes still narrowed.

'_Stupid, shitty, fucking…_' he continued in his head.

Natsumi looked away with a pained look on her face.

"We're aware that Nori passed on… But you haven't told us where Ai is," Hiroshi said quickly.

"Nee-Chan… Won't be with us for a while… It's complicated…." Natsumi replied quietly. Kiyoshi looked up quickly.

"Where is she? Is she alright?"

"She's… Staying with Temari-Chan at the moment…" Natsumi added.

Kiyoshi stood up quickly.

"See you later! Bye!" He shouted as he ran out the room. Hiroshi sighed and shook his head.

"Natsumi… You look just like your mother…" He said with a smile.

Natsumi smiled faintly.

* * *

Kiyoshi skipped to Temari's house, somehow knowing where to find it. He raised his hand and pounded on the door.

* * *

Ai walked out of her room and rubbed her ears. 

'_So loud…_'

She inhaled and exhaled deeply. Temari ran out of her room.

"What's going on?"

Ai turned the doorknob quickly and Temari poked her head out from behind Ai.

"Eh… What the Hell are you doing here…?"

Ai stood frozen to her spot.

"O- Onii-…San…?"

Temari looked at her strangely.

"What…?"

Ai's eyes rolled as she fell down.

"Imouto-Chan-... Oh… Not again…" he said as he sunk to his knees.

'_Just like Okaa-San…_' he thought with a smile.

* * *

I'm sorry for the late update! Please forgive me! Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Review please! 


	13. Smiles and Frowns

My apologies for the late chapter!

A special thanks to my readers and reviewers! I love you all!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of You_

Chapter Thirteen- Smiles and Frowns

* * *

Ai's eyes opened quickly and she shot up in bed.

"Onii-San-!"

Ai looked around the room to find it empty. She swung her legs over the edge of her bed and ran out the door.

"Temari-Chan-! Where's-…?"

Ai trailed off to see a young man with blood red hair and emerald green eyes smiling at her. Ai's eyes filled with water quickly. She ran forward and embraced him as tightly as she could. Kiyoshi kept his arms around Ai as his eyes fluttered around the room.

"Onii-San…" Ai cried quietly.

Temari looked from Kiyoshi to Ai strangely.

"O-tou-San… said you were gone…" Ai added as a sob escaped her mouth.

Kiyoshi's teeth gritted as Nori's face ran through his mind. He continued to hold Ai tightly.

"Where were you? Why didn't you come back sooner?" Ai said angrily as she let go of Kiyoshi. She raised her hands and pounded on Kiyoshi's chest.

"Why were you gone for so long?" Ai asked as she dropped to her knees. She buried her face in her hands and continued crying. Temari bent down quickly and wrapped an arm around Ai's shoulders.

"Imouto-Chan…" Kiyoshi began as he bent down in front of her.

"Please forgive me…"

"I think you have some explaining to do…" Temari said as she helped Ai stand up. Kiyoshi smiled and nodded.

"Imouto-Chan… Calm down, please…"

Ai gulped and nodded as she took a seat.

"Nori… He-…"

"He lied…" Ai said quickly, stopping Kiyoshi from talking. "He said you were dead…"

"Dead?" Temari began. "Of course he wasn't dead, I saw him just a few months ago."

"Temari-Chan… You know Onii-San?" Ai asked, sniffling. Temari nodded with a smile.

"We helped out with the last Chuunin exam," Kiyoshi added. Ai looked down as her bottom lip began quivering again.

"Why couldn't you come sooner…?"

A pained look fell onto Kiyoshi's face.

"I can understand that you're upset… But the old man's a retired jounin, he teaches genin now... And I'm an ANBU member- We've been really busy, this was the first time in a while that we had nothing to do at the same time. So, we decided to come visit."

Ai's head snapped up quickly.

"You're not staying? You can't go again, not again- please!" Ai said loudly as she dropped to her knees, holding her brother's hands.

"Not again… Not this time, Onii-San…"

Kiyoshi held onto Ai's hands and bent down so that he looked her in the eyes.

"I know you're okay… And you know I'm alright… I'll have to go back eventually…"

Ai lowered her head again and nodded slightly.

"How long will you be staying here…?"

"A week…"

"That's not long…" Temari spoke up.

"Well, you know how it is, Temari-San," said Kiyoshi with a smile.

"And… O-tou-San…?" Ai asked quietly.

"He's with Okaa-san right now," Kiyoshi replied, grinning. Ai smiled and chuckled.

"Figured as much… Okaa-San missed him…" Ai said quietly. Kiyoshi nodded.

"Old Man missed her too," he added.

"Emi-Chan will be happy to see you, Onii-San," Ai said smiling. After a moment of silence, Temari and Ai's eyes widened.

"Oh shit…" Temari muttered.

"What's wrong?"

Ai slapped her hand to her head.

"We forgot about Emi-Chan's wedding!"

Kiyoshi raised his eyebrow.

"She's getting married? To who?"

"Akira-San," Ai said quickly as she ran to the phone. She dialed Emi's number quickly.

"Hello? Emi-Chan? It's Ai… I'm so sorry- Temari-Chan and I forgot about-…" she stayed silent for a moment. "What happened? Is everything alright?" Ai shook her head.

"At least she's alright… Yeah, we'll be there… Next week? Okay, okay, bye..."

Ai put down the phone and turned to Temari and Kiyoshi.

"Is everything alright?" Temari asked, standing up.

"Akira-San's mother isn't well, they postponed the wedding… It's in a few days," Ai said with a smile. "Onii-San, you'll come too, won't you?"

Kiyoshi grinned and nodded.

"Of course."

* * *

The elderly man tapped his fingers on the desk before him. He sighed heavily and rubbed his forehead. His frown grew. 

"Stupid brat… She'll pay for this…" he muttered angrily.

* * *

"Okaa-San, lunch is ready!" Natsumi shouted as she set up the table. Hiroshi and Arisu walked down the stairs, side-by-side. Their hands brushed against each other lightly. Arisu looked away shyly as a hint of red rose to her cheeks. Natsumi resisted the urge to laugh and giggled quietly as everyone sat at the table. 

"What about Onii-San?"

Hiroshi tore his eyes away from Arisu reluctantly and smiled at Natsumi.

"He probably went to meet Ai," he said, continuing to smile. Natsumi's smile faltered slightly, but nodded as they began to eat.

* * *

"Here you go, Onii-San," Ai said happily, handing the plate of food to her brother as she took off her apron. Temari smiled and thanked Ai for making lunch before she began eating. 

"Imouto-Chan, this tastes great! Better than the ramen I treat Hokage-Sama to!" Kiyoshi said happily. Ai looked at Kiyoshi curiously.

"You eat with Hokage-Sama…?"

Kiyoshi nodded, stuffing his face with food.

"He's a great guy- one of my best friends!" Kiyoshi said loudly while chewing his food. Temari looked at how fast Kiyoshi ate his food. Kiyoshi picked up his plate.

"More food, please!"

Ai giggled and gave Kiyoshi more food.

* * *

"Natsumi, this food tastes great! Better than the ramen Kiyoshi forces me to eat!" 

Natsumi looked at Hiroshi curiously.

"The ramen he _forces_ you to eat?"

Hiroshi nodded and talked as he chewed his food.

"It's because of Hokage-Sama; Kiyoshi always treats Hokage-Sama to ramen! Hokage-Sama's obsession with ramen rubbed off on Kiyoshi- now it's the only thing he eats!" Hiroshi shouted happily as he gulped his food down. Natsumi raised her eyebrow and shook her head.

'_How strange…_' she thought, laughing.

* * *

He looked down at the picture of Ichiro and narrowed his eyes. 

'_I will… hurt you so much… Little whore…_' he thought angrily.

"Katashi-!"

A young man walked into his father's room quickly.

"Yes…?"

"Send a note to our friend… I would like to meet her tomorrow…" he said, not bothering to look up.

The young man bowed.

"Yes, O-tou-San…" he said quietly as he walked out the room.

* * *

Chapter Thirteen- I hope you enjoyed it! I know it's a little short, I'm sorry for that, but it seemed like a good place to stop. Anyways, review please! 


	14. Quiet Meetings

A special thanks to my readers and reviewers! I love you! I hope you enjoy this chapter!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of you_

Chapter Fourteen- Quiet Meetings

* * *

Kiyoshi looked up quickly as he put his dishes away.

"I completely forgot-! We have to meet Kazekage-Sama!"

Ai froze in her spot. Her hands began shaking furiously as she held the glass plate. The plate slipped as the sound of it colliding with the floor rang through the house.

"Ai, are you okay?" Temari asked, rushing over to her.

"Imouto-Chan?" Kiyoshi asked as he ran out of the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

Ai snapped out of her thoughts and looked at the broken plate on the ground.

"Yes, I'm sorry…" Ai said quietly as she bent down to pick up the broken pieces of glass.

"Itai-!"

"Imouto-Chan-!" Kiyoshi dropped to her side and inspected her bleeding hand.

"I'll get some bandages," Temari said quickly as she ran into her room.

"Imouto-Chan… What's wrong?"

Ai looked up and smiled sadly.

"Nothing, I'm fine, Onii-San."

Kiyoshi's brows furrowed as he looked up to see Temari handing bandages to Ai.

"Thank you, Temari-Chan," Ai said gratefully with a small smile. Temari smiled back, still concerned.

"Will you be okay?" She asked.

Ai nodded and began wrapping the bandage around her hand.

"I'll pick up the glass," Kiyoshi said as Temari helped him.

* * *

"Imouto-Chan, let's go!" Kiyoshi said, grinning happily as he walked to the door. 

"Um… You go ahead, Onii-San… I have some work to finish…" Ai said quietly, looking at the ground. Temari stood beside Kiyoshi, looking at Ai curiously.

"You don't have to do anything, come with us, Ai-Chan," said Temari, smiling. Ai looked up nervously.

"But-…"

"I won't take no as an answer," Temari said firmly as she continued smiling. Ai sighed, defeated as she walked over to her brother.

"Okay…" she whispered.

* * *

"Temari-Chan!" 

Temari, Kiyoshi and Ai came to a halt as an elderly woman walked up to Temari.

"Temari-Chan, dear… I know this is probably a bad time but I need help carrying some bags home…"

Temari smiled and picked up the bags on the ground.

"It's no problem," she began as she turned to Kiyoshi and Ai. "I'll meet up with you two at his office," she added as she walked home with the elderly woman.

"Come on," Kiyoshi said, smiling at his littler sister.

* * *

"Ah, Ai-San! Is everything alright?" Kenji asked Ai, grinning happily. 

"Yes," Ai said quietly, smiling. Ai held Kiyoshi's arm and brought him forward gently.

"Kenji-San, this is my Onii-San, Kiyoshi," Ai added quietly. Kiyoshi held out an out-stretched hand.

"Nice to meet you," they said in unison.

"I'm from Konohagakure Village… I'm here to see Kazekage-Sama," Kiyoshi said, grinning. Kenji turned and looked at the large double doors with concern.

"I guess you could see him… I don't think he's in a good mood though…"

Ai turned quickly.

"Let's go then," she said. Kiyoshi turned and grabbed Ai's arm and walked towards the office doors.

"We'll put him in a good mood then!" he said happily. Ai looked back at Kenji to see him grinning widely. Her knees began shaking slightly as her heart began racing. Ai gulped in nervousness as Kiyoshi knocked on the doors. They heard a muffled voice telling them to come in.

"Onii-San, you can go in," Ai said quickly. "I'll wait out here."

"Nonsense, Imouto-Chan! He'll be happy to see you!"

Ai whimpered quietly as Kiyoshi pushed the large doors open.

"Kazekage-Sama!" Kiyoshi shouted loudly as the doors closed behind them. Gaara stood up silently as Kiyoshi walked over to him.

"Kiyoshi… What are you doing here…?"

Ai stood behind Kiyoshi, afraid to look up. Gaara's gaze ran behind Kiyoshi and noticed Ai looking down as a hint of red ran to her cheeks.

Kiyoshi looked back at Ai dumbly.

"Oh, I came to visit Imouto-Chan!" Kiyoshi pushed Ai ahead of him. "And I wanted to meet you too!" Kiyoshi grinned crazily. Ai stayed silent as she shifted uncomfortably under Gaara's stare.

"I told you about her the last time you came to visit," Kiyoshi added. Gaara snapped out of his thoughts and nodded.

"I remember… Have a seat."

Kiyoshi and Ai sat down as words poured out of Kiyoshi's mouth. Ai's gaze fluttered to Gaara's face when he wasn't looking. Her eyes ran over his lips. She quickly looked back down as Gaara turned to look at her.

"Hokage-Sama is doing well too," Kiyoshi continued. Gaara nodded once in a while and smiled faintly from time to time. Bits of their conversation ran through Ai's ears.

"Hinata-San as well-…"

"He started laughing so hard-…"

"And bam! He fell down, just like that-..."

'_Onii-San talks a lot…_' Ai thought, smiling. An hour passed by slowly. Ai looked up at Gaara shyly when he turned to Kiyoshi.

"So, I ended up here with the Old Man," Kiyoshi grinned and sat back in his chair.

"I'm glad you could come," Gaara began quietly. "If you need anything, feel free to ask," he added.

"All I need is for everyone to be okay," Kiyoshi replied, smiling. Ai looked up at a clock on the wall.

"Temari-Chan hasn't come yet…" Ai said quietly, absentmindedly. At those words, knocking could be heard from the other side of the doors. Everyone looked at the doors to see Temari walked into the room.

"Hey, sorry I'm late," she said with a small grin. Ai got up and motioned to the chair.

"Have a seat Temari-Chan," Ai said quietly.

"No, it's okay- I'll get another one," Temari said as she turned back to the doors.

"Kenji! Get another chair!"

They heard someone yelp in surprise outside and within a few minutes, another chair was brought into the room by Kenji. Ai took her seat again after Temari had taken hers. Gaara stared at Ai for a moment before Temari cleared her throat. Gaara snapped out of his thoughts again and looked at Temari questioningly. Ai felt the heat rising up to her cheeks. Kiyoshi looked from Gaara to Ai dumbly. He resisted the urge to scratch his head in confusion.

"How long will you be staying?" Gaara asked after a moment of silence.

"A week," Kiyoshi replied with a smile.

"Onii-San…" Ai began quietly. Kiyoshi and Gaara looked at her curiously. "Perhaps we should leave Kazekage-Sama to his work…" Ai added, barely above a whisper as a pale color of red rose to her cheeks again. Kiyoshi grinned, noticing his younger sisters' shyness.

"She's got a point," Kiyoshi said, looking at Gaara. Gaara nodded as he stood up along with everyone else.

"It was good seeing you again," Gaara said with a small smile. Kiyoshi nodded and continued grinning.

"Likewise," he replied. Temari looked at Ai for a moment, seeing her eyes flutter to Gaara's face. She suppressed a grin and followed after Kiyoshi as he walked out the door. Gaara and Ai stood in an awkward silence.

"Let's go, Imouto-Chan!" Kiyoshi shouted happily as he walked passed Kenji. Ai sent a small smile to Gaara and hurried out the door towards Kiyoshi and Temari.

A faint blush crossed Gaara's cheeks as he closed his office doors.

* * *

A knock could be heard at the door. The elderly woman stood up and walked towards the door, muttering. She opened it and looked at the person standing there. 

"Katashi? What are you doing here?"

A young man with chestnut brown hair stood with a small smile on his face.

"Sobo, how are you?"

"Good thing you remembered to call me that, I won't have you calling me anything else… I heard about Ichiro…" She began, allowing Katashi to walk inside her house.

"Such a shame… He was such a sweet boy too…"

"Sobo," Katashi began quietly. "O-tou-San would like to meet you right now… If you do not come along willingly, I will have to use force…"

The elderly woman looked at him strangely.

"Katashi, What are you talking about? What's this nonsense about using force…?"

Katashi pulled out a kunai knife from his pouch and walked forward.

"If you do not come with me now… I will have no choice but to hurt someone… Perhaps Nori-San would like to meet O-tou-San instead…"

"No, let's go now… I'll speak to your father about this…" Sobo said quietly, glaring at Katashi.

"Good," Katashi started as he put his kunai knife away. "Let's go then."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review! 


	15. Affection

I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING QUICKER! I feel horrible- but thanks to everyone who kept reviewing and reading!

_Drifting off in Thoughts of You_

Chapter Fifteen – Affection

* * *

Ai stood in the kitchen, humming quietly while washing the dishes.

"I should get back," Kiyoshi said as he stood up from his seat. Ai stopped washing the dishes and turned off the running water.

"Will you come back…?" Ai asked as she looked at her older brother sadly. Kiyoshi grinned and wrapped an arm around Ai.

"Of course I will," he replied happily. Ai smiled up at him and walked him to the door.

"See you later, Temari-San!" Kiyoshi shouted.

"Bye-!" she shouted from the shower.

Ai and Kiyoshi embraced once more.

"Take care, Onii-San," Ai said quietly as she continued smiling. Kiyoshi nodded.

"You too, Imouto-Chan. The Old Man will come by tomorrow to see you." he said as he turned and walked out the door. Ai waved to him and reluctantly closed the door.

* * *

Kiyoshi hummed quietly as he walked down the street. Another man in black came up and strolled past him quickly, sending a nod towards Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi stopped and looked back at the dark figure. His eyes narrowed. After a moment of watching the man, he disappeared into the night. Kiyoshi turned and walked back to Natsumi and Arisu's house.

* * *

Ai began humming again and continued washing the dishes. The light sound of someone's hand rapping against wood rang through the house. Ai looked up at the door and turned off the tap once again. She dried her hands and quickly walked to the door. She pulled it open and smiled. 

"Kankuro-San, welcome back," she began. "How are you?"

"Good, thanks," Kankuro said quietly as he walked inside.

"I'll get some dinner for you," Ai said, still smiling. Kankuro plopped down on a chair and sighed heavily.

"Welcome back, Kankuro," Temari said as she dried her hair with a towel. "You just missed Kiyoshi."

Kankuro raised his eyebrow and looked up at his sister.

"Kiyoshi? The red-head from Konoha?"

Temari nodded towards Ai.

"Kiyoshi's her brother," she replied.

"No way," Kankuro said quietly.

"Yes way- he might be back tomorrow, you can meet him then," Temari added as she threw her towel into a laundry basket.

Ai walked to Kankuro and put his tray of food and glass of water on the table before him.

"Thank you, Ai… Itadakaimasu," he muttered before he began eating.

"You seem tired, Kankuro-San… I'll get your bed ready so you can rest," Ai said with a small smile. Kankuro opened his mouth for a moment, but before he could talk, Ai ran to his room. Kankuro sighed and shook his head.

"She's too nice; people will take advantage of her…" Kankuro said as he looked at Temari. Temari glared at him.

"If you're implying that-…"

"I'm not implying anything!" Kankuro said quickly as he put his arms up defensively.

"Hmph…" Temari muttered as she took a seat beside him.

* * *

Ai hummed quietly as she fluffed Kankuro's pillow and looked down at his bed. 

'_I wonder what would happen if Gaara-Kun were to spend the night here… Would he be sleeping in the same room as- No-! What am I thinking? He wouldn't be sleeping with me-… Wait, he doesn't sleep so it wouldn't matter…_' Ai shook her head.

"I'm being silly…" Ai muttered to herself as Gaara's pale face ran through her mind. She began blushing lightly as she gripped the pillow tightly.

"Ai- San?"

Ai jumped at Kankuro's voice.

"Kankuro-San…" she sighed in relief as she looked back at him. "I was just finishing up…" Ai fluffed his pillow again and put it on his bed carefully. She turned to him and smiled.

"Good night, Kankuro-San," she said quietly as she walked out of the room.

"Good night," he called back.

Kankuro shut his door as soon as Ai left and scratched his head.

-Flashback-

"_You think something's going on…?" Kankuro asked, putting his empty glass away._

"_Not sure…" Temari began. "How's Gaara?"_

_Kankuro smiled faintly._

"_He's fine- just catching up on some paper work."_

"_You know…I've always wondered about Ai and Gaara…." Temari said._

"_What do you mean?"_

"_Never mind," Temari replied, grinning slightly._

-End flashback-

_'….Hmm….I wonder…' _Kankuro shook his head and crawled into bed.

* * *

Katashi pushed her roughly into the room. She sighed angrily and glared at Katashi who was now leaving her.

"Forgive me, Sobo… _Hotaru-San_…" Katshi's quiet words rang through her ears. He had called her by her name. The very name she hadn't heard for years.

"Ah… Hotaru-San… It's good to see you again…"

Hotaru jumped slightly and turned to face a man standing in the shadows. He stepped forward with a smile plastered on his lips. His eyes narrowed slightly- they were not smiling at all.

"Taro… What is going on here…?"

His smile twitched into a frown.

"Now… Hotaru… It would be respectful to call me by Taro- San or even Taro-Sama…"

* * *

Kiyoshi rapped the door with his knuckles before taking a step back. He waited for a moment, hoping someone would open the door.

He raised his eyebrow and turned the doorknob. The young, red-haired man walked inside the house.

"Imouto-Chan…? Okaa-San…?" Kiyoshi called as he walked towards the kitchen. He stopped in his steps while watching Hiroshi with his arms wrapped around Arisu from behind. Kiyoshi grinned and folded his arms as he opened his mouth.

Before Kiyoshi could speak, he felt a small object hit the back of his head. Kiyoshi rubbed the back of his head as he swung around with a glare set on his face. He noticed Natsumi sitting on the staircase, motioning for him to sit beside her. Kiyoshi continued rubbing his head as he walked towards her.

"Imouto-Chan," he mumbled. "That hurt."

Natsumi grinned as he took a seat beside her. She raised her hand and pointed at Arisu and Hiroshi.

"Okaa-San hasn't looked that happy for a long time…" Natsumi began quietly as she and Kiyoshi looked towards the couple in the kitchen. "Don't spoil this moment for her," she ended with a small smile.

A grin returned to Kiyoshi's lips.

"I know what you mean, the Old Man's been moping every night back in Konoha."

Natsumi turned and smiled at Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi continued grinning as her messed up her hair and slung his arm around her shoulders. The turned back to watch the happy couple in the kitchen.

Moments passed in silence before Kiyoshi began to get bored.

'_Hmm…_'

Natsumi turned to him as she felt his boredom grow.

"Onii-San…? Is something wrong…?"

"Yeah," Kiyoshi muttered as he looked at the pile of pebbles beside Natsumi. He grabbed a pebble quickly and stood up before Natsumi could object. She looked at her parents and then at Kiyoshi.

"Onii-Sa-!"

Kiyoshi threw the pebble at his parents' feet and watched them snap out of their loving daze. They blinked and looked back at Kiyoshi and Natsumi. Kiyoshi grinned as Natsumi smacked her hand to her head. Hiroshi began glaring at his immature son. Kiyoshi gulped and pulled Natsumi up by her arms.

"Run for it, Imouto-Chan!" Kiyoshi shouted as he and Natsumi ran up the stairs.

Hiroshi looked down and shook his head as Arisu giggled quietly. Arisu held his hand gently and continued smiling. Hiroshi looked at her and blushed.

"I've missed you…" Arisu said quietly.

Hiroshi wrapped his arms around Arisu and put his forehead against hers gently.

"I've missed you too…"

* * *

Kiyoshi and Natsumi fell onto the ground of Natsumi's bedroom and burst out laughing.

"O- Onii-San! I told you not to bother them!" she shouted as she continued laughing. Kiyoshi tried to reply but his words merely turned into laughter as they tried to escape his mouth.

Minutes escaped and the laughing siblings soon calmed down with smiles stretched across their faces.

'_If only Nee-Chan was here…_' Natsumi thought as her smile faded away slightly.

Kiyoshi turned to Natsumi as he sat up. Natsumi chuckled and sat up as well. They looked at each other for a moment before they burst out laughing again.

"S- Stop making me laugh, Onii-San!" Natsumi said in between her laughter.

"It's not my fault!" Kiyoshi shouted back as, he too, continued laughing.

Soon after, Kiyoshi and Natsumi dropped to the ground as sleep overcame them. Arisu and Hiroshi turned the bedroom door slightly and poked their heads in. Hiroshi grinned as Arisu smiled faintly. They looked at each other once before leaving the sleeping siblings on the floor.

* * *

Hiroshi wrapped his arms around Arisu as they yawned and looked at each other through their half-open eyelids.

"I love you…" Hiroshi whispered.

"I love you too," Arisu replied as they fell into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

WOW! HAHA, IT'S BEEN A WHILE!

Talk about writers' block- I apologize for not updating earlier. I hope you guys can forgive me! (

Hotaru- firefly

Taro- first born son

Please review!


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